If you were mulling over whether to buy Forza Motorsport 6 digitally for the Xbox One, Microsoft and Turn 10 Studios are making the decision for you. It was recently revealed that the simulation racer is being pulled from digital distributors come September 15th due to license expiry.
According to Metro, come September 15th Forza Motorsport 6 will complete its end of life status, and will no longer be available for digital purchase, so as a going away present for gamers, Microsoft will discount all of the game’s DLC by 95% off the normal price from August 16th up until the game is removed from the digital storefronts.
As noted by Metro, instead of renewing the licenses for the vehicles and music featured in the game, Microsoft has decided to simply let it all lapse by pulling the digital version of the game from online storefronts…
“The reason for the delisting is that the licences for the various real-world cars, and often the in-game music, has expired and rather than pay to extend it the game is simply removed from sale.”
This is a cheaper alternative for publishers as opposed to paying for the renewal fees, even though it would be highly unlikely that the game would sell anymore than it already has to cover the costs of the renewal fees.
It’s interesting because Forza Motorsport 6 has only been on the market for four years and it’s already being pulled off digital store shelves.
The article notes that if you purchased the digital version of the game, you’ll still be able to re-dowonload the game in case you ever have to download it again. And obviously the physical versions of the game will still be available at participating retailers, but the digital versions will be a no go after the middle of next month.
This is yet another sign that the all-digital future that big corporations have been trying to sell games on isn’t quite the fairy tale that it’s cracked up to be.
(Thanks for the news tip Guardian EvaUnit02)