[UPDATE] Midway Titles Disappear from XBLA

[modeps]

http://evavhost.com/i/news/midway_logo.jpg

Eurogamer (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/midway-xbla-titles-disappear) is reporting that Midway titles have been removed from the Xbox Live Marketplace. Mortal Kombat 3, Defender, Gauntlet, Paperboy and Smash TV are all nowhere to be found. I did a search and they are certainly gone from the public marketplace, but not from my purchase history where I see links to both Smash TV (http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/games/offers/00000001-0000-4000-8000-0000584107e1)and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/games/offers/00000001-0000-4000-8000-000058410833) (they're dead).

UPDATE: This just in from Major Nelson's twitter:

FYI: Some XBLA titles are no longer available for purchase from Xbox LIVE Arcade due to publisher evolving rights and permissions... The list of titles is: Cyberball, Defender, Paperboy, Rootbeer Tapper, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, Robotron, Joust, Gauntlet & Smash TV

More from Major Nelson:

If you purchased any of those titles...you will still be able to play them or redownload 'em. An no, it's not Game room related

[LilAbner]

Well that sucks.

[BlackHatKid]

That's crap.

I would like to have had Mortal Kombat 2, or Mortal Kombat 3... Ultimate got ridiculous for me... some of the characters just don't fit into the game, graphic wise.

[derm]

You can still download them again then if you already had them but deleted them.
Right?

[pwnophobia]

To the sleuth mobile!

[modeps]

You can still download them again then if you already had them but deleted them.
Right?

Appears so, yes.
Smash TV has been successfully added to your download queue.

http://evavhost.com/i/news/smashtvdown.png

[Johan]

So Midway titles are like penny stocks now (aka: Delisted)? Too bad. Glad I have Smash TV. I like that one. The others are, to me, dreck. I used to love Defender as a kid, but it's crap to me now.

[lockwoodx]

Fun games but they were a bit pricey in the first place. It still sucks to see variety taken away from the customer.

[slamcannon]

Could this be prep work for the new arcade room?

[modeps]

Could this be prep work for the new arcade room?

Midway wasn't one of the originally announced partners for it, but it could have something to do with that... lets check SCRAMBLE! Nope, still there (http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/games/media/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80258410814/).

[gzsfrk]

I seriously hope that these weren't de-listed because of low sales. This is DD, so it's not like these titles were taking up valuable shelf space. Unless it was a situation where rights have been transferred or there was an original time-limited contract which placed the games into XBLA in the first place, then it's utterly pointless and stupid to remove them. As long as they're out there, they're potential revenue waiting to happen (minimal though it may be). Take them offline, though, and you're guaranteed zero revenue from them.

[Chimpbot]

Midway wasn't one of the originally announced partners for it, but it could have something to do with that... lets check SCRAMBLE! Nope, still there (http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/games/media/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80258410814/).

It probably has more to do with the fact that ownership of their licenses gave scattered to the four winds. Who owns the rights to Paperboy, for example?
Besides, since Midway is defunct, these will probably be relisted under the name of the new owners.

[modeps]

My thought is that it's something to do with the fact that Midway no longer exists really. The licenses have transfered to other companies, and they may not want them up on XBLA anymore for whatever reason.

[Johan]

Besides, since Midway is defunct, these will probably be relisted under the name of the new owners.

Only if the new owners of the respective IP don't mind tarnishing their own good name(s). ;)

[Chimpbot]

Only if the new owners of the respective IP don't mind tarnishing their own good name(s). ;)

Paperboy is awesome. Disagree, and I will poop directly into your pillowcase.

[modeps]

This just in from Major Nelson's twitter:

FYI: Some XBLA titles are no longer available for purchase from Xbox LIVE Arcade due to publisher evolving rights and permissions... The list of titles is: Cyberball, Defender, Paperboy, Rootbeer Tapper, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, Robotron, Joust, Gauntlet & Smash TV

If you purchased it in the past, you WILL be able to re-download them...so don't worry.

[gzsfrk]

Thanks for clarifying things there, modeps. On top of things, as usual. :)

[pwnophobia]

and a little more.... (http://twitter.com/majornelson/statuses/9241838796)

If you purchased any of those titles...you will still be able to play them or redownload 'em. An no, it's not Game room related

[dr_wily]

a little warning would have been nice!

ive already got my root beer tapper though. sad!

[murpes]

Hold on, let me check ... they're all still there when I launch MAME. Whew! :p

[92miata]

i think we should all thank china for this. america has no more jobs. thanks china!!!!!