Less than six years after its release, the highly rated tactical puzzle game John Wick Hex is set to be removed from sale. Publisher Big Fan Games has stated that while existing owners will retain access, new purchases will be impossible from July 17, regardless of the platform.
Although a specific reason for this removal hasn’t been disclosed, it’s widely believed that the expiration of licensing rights is the likely culprit. This underscores a frequent issue in video games linked to other media: while sometimes the consequences are minimal, such as missing out on particular songs, in this instance, it means the game will be completely unavailable.
Originally launched exclusively on the Epic Games Store in October 2019, John Wick Hex later became available on Steam in December 2020. Despite its promising gameplay, it struggled to attract a large player base owing to its initial exclusivity on Epic.
The recent removal notice arrives just days after developer Mike Bithell talked about the improvements in licensed video games over the past two decades, emphasizing that players of yore are now the leaders in companies that license IP. Bithell commented, “We’re not just creating lunchbox tie-ins anymore. IP owners now see these games as opportunities to expand their universes.”
