Games getting delisted from Xbox isn't entirely uncommon. However, a hard-delisted game is rare because it's impossible to keep it in your library even after purchasing. Three games from developer Creepy Brothers serve as fresh examples.

Creepy Tale, Creepy Tale 2, and Strike Force Kitty have been hard-delisted from the Xbox Store. This is because of a reported dispute between the developers and publisher No Gravity Games.

"I'm very sorry that players have to suffer because of terrible publishers, but we had no choice." Said the developers via an official X post.

"The games have been removed from the store because the publisher has violated the terms of the agreement and has not paid royalty for several years."

The studio also told True Achievements that it hopes the games get relisted on the platform. However, it's a "slow and complicated process" so there's really no way to tell what happens next.

The games are also set to be removed from the PlayStation and Nintendo stores. Additionally, the latter will also see the exit of two more games: Picklock and Make War.

However, Creepy Brothers publishes the games themselves on PC via Steam. Therefore, the games will likely remain available on the platform.

Publisher No Gravity Games has not commented on the situation after being approached by True Achievements. Previously, their game Bullets and Brains was also delisted from consoles.

Developers at Ajvar Studio also claimed via a Steam update note that they had to sever ties with the publisher. However, the exact reason for this dispute was not revealed.

So, if you had these video games already downloaded on your system, you should not delete them. However, if you had purchased them but not installed them, the games are gone from your Xbox for good.

Why do video games get delisted from Xbox?

Video games get delisted from the platform for various reasons. It could range from the expiration of licenses to complete server shutdowns, as seen in the case of live-service games like Highguard.

However, a hard-delisting is different. It's quite uncommon, and in this case, it occurred due to a dispute with the game's publisher. The reasons for a hard-delisting are not entirely clear.

Developer Creepy Brothers said in a response to a post that they were "shocked that Microsoft is blocking games from being played by those who have already purchased them."

Fans of the games may be equally surprised at the outcome.

How do you feel about games getting hard-delisted from a platform? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Prit Chauhan