Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by diggan 688 days ago
> you cant play them when steam or producer decides to shut them down.

Doesn't Steam actually let people keep a game in their Steam library even if the publisher takes down the store page for the game?
2 comments
tadzik_ 688 days ago
That only gives you the client component though, which isn't very useful when the game servers shut down.

Most games these days don't have a self-hostable dedicated server.

In case of Steam/Valve specifically it happened a while ago with Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Valve replaced it with Counter-Strike 2, and while GO's client is still usable, some of its online components are not.

link
throwaway48476 688 days ago
I believe csgo on the Xbox still works online.
link
SXX 688 days ago
It's only works because Valve probably have contractual obligations to not break online services for the game until console EOL. This can very well be the case if it was ever possible to actually buy it on Xbox.
link
leftyspook 688 days ago
It does. Not sure if publisher can opt-out though.

Another point is that Steam DRM is a) optional b) unlike always online GaaS trivial to circumvent

link