EA Silently Delists The Original Crysis From Steam, Raising Preservation Concerns

As the industry shifts towards digital-only games, the drawbacks of this approach are becoming increasingly apparent. In recent news, Crytek’s fan-favorite FPS Crysis has been removed from the Steam store and is no longer available for purchase. This decision came out of nowhere as EA silently delisted the classic without any prior warning or notice.

The standalone purchase of the original Crysis was removed quite a while ago, but it was still available on Steam via the Maximum Edition bundle. However, that too was removed now. Crysis fans do have the option to buy and play the Remastered version alongside the sequels, but many still prefer the original “Hardware crushing” title, and it’s a sad day for them.

The Steam page for the Maximum Edition bundle now redirects to the Steam homepage, and while you can still search for and open the Steam page of the original game, it now reads “Crysis is no longer available on the Steam store”. The expansion Crysis Warhead is strangely still available, that too with a discount (Did EA forget to remove it?).

The Implications Of Crysis’ Delisting

A beloved classic disappearing from Steam without any warning has gamers fearful for the future of digital gaming. EA silently removing the game reaffirms that digital games can never be owned. Alongside ownership and preservation, data leaks and privacy matters are also increasing drastically in this digital world, which is why having a VPN could be useful.

It’s still possible to purchase Crysis through GOG or the EA store, but Steam remains the largest and most popular PC gaming platform; many gamers will be affected by this decision. Moreover, EA quietly delisting such a historically important game has raised strong preservation concerns. No more “Can it run Crysis though?” for Steam players is a grave blow.

A noteworthy point is that while Crysis is no longer available for purchase through Steam, it is still included in the EA Play subscription ($5.99 a month). This fact has people speculating that the removal from Steam might’ve been done to promote EA’s own subscription service instead.

Regardless of the actual reasons, the sudden disappearance of Crysis from Steam is a cause for concern for gamers all around. If any classic deserved to be preserved for the future, it was Crytek’s gem. Now that it’s gone from the largest PC storefront, who knows how long it will remain on other platforms? And if this beloved game got the axe, who’s next? The digital world carries its own set of woes.