Quantum Break (opens in new tab), a timeless shooter created by Remedy Entertainment in which an experiment goes horribly wrong, is no longer available for purchase on Steam.

The game also recently disappeared from Xbox Game Pass, which Remedy claims it removed due to an expiring license. More importantly, the studio has stated that it will return once that situation is resolved.

Remedy has not publicly commented on Steam's removal, but it is reasonable to assume that it was removed for the same reason.

Worse, it is common for games with licensed content to be removed after the license has expired; QuantumBreak's predecessor, Alan Wake (opens in new tab), was removed from Steam in 2017 for this reason, but any could be removed. In 2022, for example, "Project Cars" and "Project Cars 2" (opens in new tab) were removed from sale because their car and truck licenses had expired.

In some cases, it is possible to remove the content in question and continue, as Rockstar did with "Grand Theft Auto 4" (opens in new tab). However, when the content in question is central to the gaming experience, as was the case with "Project Cars," the publisher must decide whether it is worth the trouble and expense of renegotiating the licensing agreement. For older games that are no longer selling well, the answer is often "no."

(If you're curious, see 15 other reasons why games disappear from Steam (opens in a new tab). Some of them are quite bizarre).

Fortunately for Remedy fans, publisher Microsoft answered yes to the "Alan Wake" question and brought it back (opens in new tab) for a 2018 sale. It has also confirmed that it will do the same for Quantum Break, at least for Game Pass; we've reached out to see if the same is true for the Steam version and will update if we hear back.