It seems as though the whole Adult Swim game library may be headed for the same fate, only a few days after the creator of Small Radios Big Televisions said that his game was being “retired” from Steam at Warner Bros Discovery’s request. The announcement that their Adult Swim-published games will no longer be available for purchase within 60 days has reportedly reached at least two other studios.
The developers of Fist Puncher, Team2Bit, stated on the Steam forums that they got the same word from Warner, stating that the game will be retired and removed from Steam in the next 60 days. Warner made the universal decision not to transfer the games back to the original studios and does not have the resources to do so, according to the rejection of a request to move the game to Team2Bit’s own Steam publisher page, even though the process of making the transfers was relatively quick and easy.
Written by Team2Bit’s Matt Kain Lewandowski.
“This is incredibly disappointing. Matt Kain Lewandowski of Team2Bit wrote. I’m not entirely sure what will even happen if the game gets delisted, but it makes me sick to think that purchased games will presumably be removed from users’ libraries”.
Potential Delisting Concerns and Responses from Indie Game Developers
Lewandowski also voiced worry that even if it appears improbable, owners of Fist Puncher could not be able to access the game or any related content when it is delisted: In most cases, owners of games that are taken off the Steam storefront still have access to them. Although he hopes that will be the case, Lewandowski acknowledged that he has no control over it.
Michael Molinari said on Twitter that Warner has declined to transfer ownership and that Soundodger+ is likewise being deleted. Warner will let the game be reprinted on Steam, but only if Adult Swim is completely absent from the game that is, excluding any reference to the team and credits otherwise it will be devoid of any reviews, wishlists, or other ties to the initial release:
Molinari wrote, “New customers won’t be able to compare achievements or trade cards with old ones.”
Duck Game creator Landon Podbielski stated that although he hasn’t heard anything regarding a delisting, he anticipates one shortly. He tweeted;
I don’t know much yet, sad but not surprised. I loved ASG and its people but that’s all history now as they’ve been practically shut down for years. The takedowns could be a good thing if Warner could return ownership of the games to their developers something it has thus far indicated it will not do.”
Developer Andrew Morrish of Kingsway said he hasn’t gotten a delisting notice either, although he did say if it does.
“I will do what I can to have the game relisted on Steam and other stores.”
Concerns Over Potential Delisting Amid Warner Bros. Discovery’s Track Record
Although the creators of other Adult Swim-published games have not mentioned a potential delisting, a general takedown wouldn’t be wholly out of character given prior Warner Bros. Discovery actions. It has canceled the release of at least two big films in the last few years Batgirl and Coyote vs. Acme, both of which were finished in favor of tax write-offs. Additionally, it removed hundreds of films and television series from its Max (formerly HBO Max) streaming service.
As Podbielski noted, Adult Swim Games has not been active in a long time. However, neither Adult Swim nor parent firm Warner have provided an update on the state of the Adult Swim library. Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time, which was released on Steam in 2020, is its most recent release. As of June 2021, the account’s Twitter activity has ceased. It’s not a situation that gives one hope for the future.
