It appears that Activision’s game licenses for certain franchises has expired with the most prominent titles being TMNT: Mutants In Manhattan and various Spider-Man games including The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider -Man 2. The evidence of this expiration is the fact these games are being delisted from digital stores including Steam, the Xbox Marketplace, and the PSN Store. The TMNT delisting is a bit of a surprise since it released less than a year ago.  Another Activision published game which has disappeared is Fast & Furious Showdown.
The only way to get these games going forward is to buy physical copies, though it wouldn’t be surprising to see prices rise now that the titles aren’t available digitally. That isn’t to say we’ll never see them again on digital storefronts if Activision can renew licenses for these titles in the future. Games like Deadpool and Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 were both delisted from digital stores for some time before being made available to purchase again.
Of course Deadpool had the advantage of a highly anticipated movie generating hype, while Marvel and Capcom are making a new fighting game together so the UMvC3 re-release would have been due to that. With a new Spider-Man game now coming from Insomniac with Marvel taking more control the Activision published games may not be seen on digital stores ever again. TMNT: Mutants In Manhattan doesn’t have the lure of movie hype to make it viable to renew a license right now either.
Source: Eurogamer
JR.
TMNT was pretty awful so I don’t imagine many people will shed tears over that one. The Spiderman games were OK though. I’d love them to remaster Wolverine Origins. That game was the schitt.
The Lone Steven
Spiderman, I can see that being the result of Sony cocking up Spiderman so badly that they gave back the rights to Marvel and the games were based on Sony’s Spiderman.
TMNT? Er…. this existed.
I think, Activision only renews the rights when they see it as something they can exploit. Deadpool got released last year with a lazy “Remaster” that played worse then the original. The original barely had any bugs or issues. They did that because they saw the film was being released.
I bet when Marvel’s Reboot man is out, they’ll suddenly put them on the store.
WHY DO THEY GET THE RIGHTS TO MARVEL SUPERHEROES!? Iron Man, Thor, Spiderman, they have pumped out cash in after cash in with those titles. :(
They messed up Iron Man.
IRON MAN.
How can you do that? It’s…..
Feck it, i’m inventing a new hashtag. #feckActivision
What? I want to see decent Marvel hero games.
Advanced Imouto
Spider-Man 2 for PS2
The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction
X-Men: Children Of The Atom
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Marvel Ultimate Alliance…
Tuffcub
Marvel are taking over their own games – the new Spidey game is being created by Insomniac for Marvel and Sony.
More here – Spider-Man Game Marks Start Of New Era Of AAA Marvel Projects
homerjnick
This is what is wrong with digital sales…you do not buy the games…you buy a license to use them and that can be revoked at any time.
The company is hardly likely to come into your house and nick your physical copy but that is, in essence, what they are doing.
What’s stopping me release a multiplayer only game on the PS4, albeit utter crap, then take it off the store 6 months later and I pocket the cash I made from it and walk away leaving punters unable to play the game?
Nothing…its criminal it is allowed.
MrYd
Except that’s not what happens, is it? At least not with PSN (probably the same with XBox and Steam too).
All that happens is you can’t buy the game. If you already own it, it’s not suddenly deleted from your PS4 (or 3, or Vita). If you’ve bought it and deleted it yourself, you can still download it again. Although since you can’t get to the store page, you have to go through the download list, so good luck there. I guess with the PS4, that horrible situation is finally dealt with by having that handy Library icon that lists everything, and even lets you search.
So nothing is taken away from you. You just can’t buy it if you haven’t already. Same way you might not be able to buy a new copy on disc if they’ve all been sold and they don’t want to make new ones.
Avenger
This. Unless the game requires online, you still own it digitally nevermind what they do on the store.
Thankfully all platforms have a library, none of that download list nonsense.
homerjnick
If the game is revoked from the PS Store you cannot download it ever…it is removed from your download list.
Tony Cawley
@homerjink, thankfully you’re wrong. games that you’ve bought but have been removed from sale can still be downloaded through your download list or library.
Youles
P.T. is the only exception to the rule that I’m aware of, but perhaps since you didn’t buy it (free demo) you have no right to re-download it.
homerjnick
@Tony Cawley
No, sorry you are wrong…you cannot download games you have bought after hey have been removed from the store…I should know…it happened to me…I called Sony Support and got told it was removed from the store and from my download list end of.
It’s happened multiple times with me…The Simpsons Arcade Game was a title everyone got years ago on PS+…removed from the store and everyone download list.
hazelam
did you buy any of those PSM titles for Vita?
how bout those comics they had on PSP?
if you did, tell me how much luck you’re having downloading them now.
and that download list is a joke.
especially if you had your account for years.
assuming the content you want is still on the list, and contrary to your statement, there’s no guarantee of that, there’s no search or sort options whatsoever.
you have to scroll down through the list that could include hundreds of items.
assuming it even works, and doesn’t stop loading a couple of pages down.
but that’s a whole different issue.
MrYd
For those who’ve noticed the horrible flaws with the download list (the fact that it’s basically rubbish if you’ve got more than 3 things you’ve ever downloaded)…
https://repod.github.io/psdle/
Now, some people might get a bit worried about letting something like that do anything with your PSN account. But nobody has found any reason to suspect it’s anything other than useful, the code is obviously available for anyone to inspect, and you’ve all turned on the 2-factor authentication anyway, haven’t you?
It’ll let you search your download list for those things you can’t find the store page for. Things that might have been removed. Obviously you need to remotely download them to whichever console it’s for, but it works. And look, that Simpsons Arcade Game? It’s there. You can download it.
I would personally recommend using the Bookmarklet version. Just drag it onto your bookmarks toolbar, go to the store, and click on the bookmark. Then the PSDLE logo that pops up in the bottom left of the screen.
Geffdof23
I’m unable to download peggle on the PS3 which I’ve paid for. Pretty sure it wasnt in my download list, unless I’m looking in the wrong place.
MrYd
Another one that’s been delisted so you can’t buy it. Give PSDLE a go (see my big long reply above) and you should be able to find it.
It’ll still be in the download list if you really look hard, but I wouldn’t wish that experience on anybody. Actually, I can think of a few people who deserve that, but as you’re a random person on the internet, you’ve not made that list. Yet ;)
homerjnick
The Simpson Arcade IS NOT in my download list…years ago I spent ages on the phone to Sony who advised I can’t redownload it…I’d be surprised if PSDLE can see it when Sony cannot.
But I’ll tell you what, I’ll try it.
MrYd
I just gave it a go and… it’s there.
homerjnick
Is that just the download for the demo though or is it the unlock key? There was a way to get access to the “old store” and I could download it htat way but it was only the demo and no unlock key in sight.
MrYd
Both the demo and the unlock key show up for me.