"How is this even legal?": Fans furious after Square Enix mobile titles are confirmed to be shut down

sportskeeda.com:

Embracer Group recently announced the closure of several Square Enix spinoff titles on smartphones. The publisher made headlines after acquiring many iconic gaming franchises from Japanese gaming giant Square Enix. These include the popular third-person action-adventure franchise Tomb Raider and the sci-fi immersive sim series Deus Ex.

As tweeted by game studio Onoma (previously known as Square Enix Montreal), many games will soon disappear from the Google Play Store and Apple Store.

The list includes Arena Battle Champions, Hitman Sniper: The Shadows, Space Invaders: Hidden Heroes, and most notably Deus Ex GO. Aside from being removed from the two online stores, the said games owned by players will be unplayable from January 4, 2023. This has left many fans very upset and they have voiced their concerns about the future of digital gaming.

Players have taken to Twitter to express their discontent with the news:

Usually, games remain in a player's library even if they are delisted on a digital platform. While most of the games affected are online-centric, others like Deus Ex GO can also be played offline. As such, it's no surprise that fans are largely displeased with this particular game being delisted.

Players can even redeem rewards from the 2016 console/PC game Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, including Praxis Kits (which grant skill points for players to invest in) in Deus Ex GO. It also features a level editor for players to partake in ingenious community-created levels that are even tougher than what the base game offers. What makes matters worse is that Deus Ex GO is a paid game - so those who have purchased it from their phone's online application store stand to lose a lot.

The current backlash from fans is understandable.