Electronic Arts (EA) has quietly removed six games associated with Codemasters from Steam, leaving players with no prior notice or explanation for the delisting. The affected titles include:
- Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising
- Toybox Turbos
- Rise of the Argonauts
- Maelstrom: The Battle for Earth Begins
- Damnation
- Hospital Tycoon
Sudden Removal Raises Questions
The games were delisted on March 14, 2025, according to SteamDB, which now marks them as “retired by publisher request.” This strongly suggests that EA was directly responsible for their removal. While digital delistings are often attributed to expired licensing agreements, no official statement has been provided regarding the specific reasons behind this decision.
For players who previously purchased these games, they will still be accessible in their libraries for download and play. However, new purchases are no longer possible, effectively making these games unavailable to new audiences unless they were previously distributed on other platforms.
A Growing Problem in Digital Game Ownership
The lack of communication from EA follows an ongoing trend of publishers removing older titles from digital storefronts, often due to licensing issues related to music, third-party IPs, or internal restructuring. However, the decision to delist multiple games at once—some of which do not appear to have obvious licensing conflicts—has sparked frustration among gaming preservation advocates.
The delisting also highlights the growing issue of digital game ownership, where publishers hold full control over whether a game remains purchasable, regardless of player demand or historical significance. Many fans have called for alternatives, such as releasing these games on DRM-free platforms like GOG.com, where they could remain available even after being removed from Steam.
Will the Games Return?
At this time, EA has not addressed whether these games will return to any storefronts or if they are permanently retired. Given the sudden nature of the removal, some speculate that EA may be planning remasters, licensing renegotiations, or repackaged releases under a new distribution model. However, until an official statement is made, these remain speculative possibilities.
Players looking to preserve their access to these titles may need to explore alternative solutions, as digital game delistings continue to impact the industry. EA’s silence on the matter only fuels further concerns about the longevity of digital game libraries.
