Quantum Break has been delisted from the Steam and Xbox storefronts, and it has been temporarily removed from the list of games available to Game Pass subscribers, developer Remedy Entertainment has announced. Though Remedy has been focusing on its Alan Wake and Control IPs as of late, Quantum Break is still one of its premier titles of yesteryear, making this a potentially problematic situation.
It's worth pointing out that Quantum Break came out as a flagship title during Microsoft's Xbox One heyday, when the company was attempting to meld TV shows with video games to a substantial extent. This resulted in Remedy setting the game up as a hybrid of the two mediums, meaning it's got a lengthy campaign that plays out alongside the events depicted in the show, making it quite unique in most respects.
Those who may have planned to give the 2016 AAA title a shot only to discover that it's currently completely unavailable shouldn't worry too much, thankfully. The game is now going through a set of issues similar to what led to the delisting of Alan Wake in 2017. In that instance, the problem was with the game's licensed music, the rights to which were expiring at the time. Remedy has already confirmed that Quantum Break is bound to return to Game Pass as soon as possible, and this is likely going to happen with the game's Steam and Xbox storefront listings too.
Microsoft recently confirmed the removal of Quantum Break from Xbox Game Pass, so the situation was telegraphed well in advance, and the team in charge of the game's Xbox licensing stated that efforts were being made to get the game back onto the service as soon as possible. With that in mind, odds are good that the downtime won't be too long, what with the developer and publisher working together to get the problem sorted out.
Since Quantum Break was supposed to be season one of a bigger, overarching narrative, the game ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. Still, it presents itself as a stellar shooter with an engaging narrative, excellent graphics, and the sort of classic Remedy Entertainment combat gameplay that fans of Control will know and love, making it a worthwhile experience even today.
However, though a full-fledged sequel to Quantum Break might not be currently on the docket, the future looks bright for the Remedy Connected Universe. Indeed, the game seems to exist in the same universe as Control and Alan Wake, which means that the adventures of Quantum Break's Jack Joyce may end up being resolved in a wholly different title.
Quantum Break is available on PC and Xbox One.