Spec Ops: The Line can no longer be bought on Steam. Last I checked, it was still available on GOG, but that is likely to change. 2K doesn't seem interested in renewing the licenses necessary to have Spec Ops in stores - a sharp contrast to Remedy going above and beyond to get Alan Wake's music licenses renewed. The game will be leaving digital storefronts, and chances are high that it won't come back.
What now, then?
Game communities can still survive even when they are reduced to abandonware. Look at Manhunt 2 or Jurassic Park: Trespasser if you want to see players and content creators still toying with games not on storefronts! Spec Ops certainly can survive on its own, but my concern is whether it will.
Spec Ops: The Line has always been a niche sort of game, from its 2012 release to its cult following developed by years of video essays praising it. Its modding scene is still fairly new, especially with its most effective tools only releasing in 2023.
I don't have any answers yet, but I hope that a combination of the attention brought on by the delisting, the detailed videos people make about it, and the mods coming out to expand upon it will keep the community alive. I've been doing my part with mods: two major releases came out in this year already, and we're barely a month into it!
What matters most is to keep Spec Ops in the spotlight. Everything helps, from artwork to fanfictions to discussions of the game itself. There are plenty of ways to keep the community alive beyond modding! Even if I'm not a fan of its multiplayer, organizing matches for that would be a great way to keep that subsection of the community strong. That mode has its fans, after all.
That said, I'm a sucker for mods. I love seeing what creative and downright brilliant modifications players can come up with.
I don't want Spec Ops: The Line's community to flicker out. I've met some great friends through it and learned a lot about the ins and outs of game design thanks to it. It's a shooter that earned every bit of praise it got. It's a shame that 2K won't renew its licenses to keep it around, but that's their call to make.
That means it just falls on us to keep the game alive.
-Yossarian
