Lego LOTR and Lego The Hobbit removed from digital stores

How do ya'll feel about this? Pretty big bummer for people who haven't had the chance to buy it, especially if they're pc gamers.

One of the downside's to digital gaming.

Must be why it was given away at Humble Store. Glad I got my copy.

People thought it might have been because of the Dialogue and music from the movies. Isn't the case because those Middle-earth are still available.

It's a shame, what little I've played of Lego LOTR seems brilliant.

It makes me want to watch the movies, or read the books. 🙂

So, maybe this is a good time to buy up physical copies?

If you're a scumbag reseller?

I always try to buy physical if possible.

I'm not sure what the problem is.

If it's being removed from digital stores (most likely because of licensing issues) then its being removed from physical stores as well.

So....this isn't an digital store issue.

Also, you are still allowed to download it if you bought the game.

If they're in your library, sure. The free Humble Store keys expired awhile ago, not sure about other unused Steam keys, but would assume it should be valid.

https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/1033203/shield/the-great-lego-hobbit-game-theft/

Interesting:

Hi All

LEGO Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit have been removed from our store as of 1/1/2018. This was done as the license between the publisher and the content license holders has expired.

If you own this game on GeForce NOW, you should be able to continue to play it. If you do not own it, you will no longer be able to purchase it.

If you are having problems playing it and own it, please send me a PM

#4
Posted 01/03/2018 09:39 PM

It appears the license expired at the start of last year. Seems they're only just getting around to auditing sites about selling it.

That would explain why there's no statement, it's a bit of an embarrassment for all involved.

Originally posted by cdtm
If they're in your library, sure. The free Humble Store keys expired awhile ago, not sure about other unused Steam keys, but would assume it should be valid.

I assume so as well.

If you have key from a reputable seller then they should work. If not, contact the seller and get a refund.

Originally posted by Smasandian
I'm not sure what the problem is.

If it's being removed from digital stores (most likely because of licensing issues) then its being removed from physical stores as well.

So....this isn't an digital store issue

Also, you are still allowed to download it if you bought the game.

Look we get all that..ok

but this whole thing over removing games because of licensing issues for digital only games, It's one of the con's for digital games

so much for Digital gaming is going to replace physical stores

Originally posted by Smasandian
then its being removed from physical stores as well.

Except it's not being removed from those stores because you can still buy it.

Originally posted by Smasandian
I'm not sure what the problem is.

If it's being removed from digital stores (most likely because of licensing issues) then its being removed from physical stores as well.

So....this isn't an digital store issue.

Also, you are still allowed to download it if you bought the game.

Hell, you can still buy games from Gamestop where the companies went out of business, like UFC Undisputed 3.

Originally posted by Kazenji
Look we get all that..ok

but this whole thing over removing games because of licensing issues for digital only games, It's one of the con's for digital games

so much for Digital gaming is going to replace physical stores

Except it's not being removed from those stores because you can still buy it.

Maybe unsold copies get recalled, but the games already in circulation stay out there.

Unfortunately, the digital age ruined that, too, with the need for day one patch's (That's why I try and buy "complete" editions, if available. Black edition of Ninja Gaiden is the only Xbox version worth playing today, for example.)

Originally posted by cdtm

(That's why I try and buy "complete" editions, if available.

Same here

especially with the Borderlands games example with how many glitches and bugs it has on it's first release.

Originally posted by cdtm
Maybe unsold copies get recalled, but the games already in circulation stay out there.

Unfortunately, the digital age ruined that, too, with the need for day one patch's (That's why I try and buy "complete" editions, if available. Black edition of Ninja Gaiden is the only Xbox version worth playing today, for example.)

I might be wrong on the physical copies being recalled. I believe it's more of the case that they do not produce any more copies but if they are out in the wild, they can still be sold. However, I remember hearing that major sellers (EB for ex.) have sent unsold copies back due to legal issues. It's the same thing in theory (no new copies being produced) than removing them for a digital store.

And I find this whole "day one" patch thing hilarious. Sure, let's go back to the days where you bought a game, installed it and found out it was filled with bugs and then not being able to return it.....those were amazing times to be alive. Or how about the times where you installed the game, the game was shit and you were left with a pile of crap that was never going to be fixed......its rose tinted nostalgia glasses. Yes, there were games that were good and mostly bug free (no game is bug free) but people are forgetting the shitty games and experiences where you just had to work around the crap.

Oh sure, it happened. From what I hear, it happened.

Never personally experienced anything remotely as bad the brokenness on release of, say, Skyrim. Which, to this day, has me randomly falling off the map.

For the most part, the gains given by the ability to fix bugs, has cost a lot of broken games being rushed out the gate, because they could fix it in post. Just about every game in my library of NES, SNES, N64, PS1, and PS2 games work just fine, because real effort was made in quality control to make sure they worked. In another 20 years, those old games will be as playable as the day they were released. In the same 20 years, most 360 and ps3 games won't be playable on an xbox or ps3 (Though some may be available through other channels, but certainly not all.)

I'll take the unfixable broken bit in a largely playable game, over the current trend of shipping out broken products to be patched later because hard limits for profit margins.

Originally posted by cdtm
Oh sure, it happened. From what I hear, it happened.

Never personally experienced anything remotely as bad the brokenness on release of, say, Skyrim. Which, to this day, has me randomly falling off the map.

For the most part, the gains given by the ability to fix bugs, has cost a lot of broken games being rushed out the gate, because they could fix it in post. Just about every game in my library of NES, SNES, N64, PS1, and PS2 games work just fine, because real effort was made in quality control to make sure they worked.

I'll take the unfixable broken bit in a largely playable game, over the current trend of shipping out broken products to be patched later because hard limits for profit margins.

No one cares to do a follow-up, and they really shouldn't either. If you're gonna ship your game with 0 content and the whole game being a glitch at launch, you deserve the review you get.

Originally posted by Jmanghan
Yeah, it really results in huge panning by critics as well, which is sad because they end up being great games sometimes.

No one cares to do a follow-up, and they really shouldn't either.

Well there are some that do follow up reviews, It's very rarely tho.