There may be a silver lining to Microsoft’s recent confirmation that Quantum Break will be leaving Xbox Game Pass sometime in April. Every month, games are both removed from and added to the popular subscription service, and eight games will be leaving Game Pass in April. These include Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction, Life is Strange: True Colors, and The Long Dark, which recently got a performance update for Xbox Series X/S consoles and has been available to subscribers since 2020.
Along with those notable titles came the discovery that Xbox-exclusive Quantum Break will be removed from Game Pass in April as well. This was an unexpected and not entirely welcome surprise for many fans of the game, primarily because Quantum Break was published by Microsoft Studios and so its removal from the service seems a bit odd. Some people even thought it was perhaps an April Fools’ joke.
The gaming giant recently clarified the reasoning behind the upcoming disappearance of Quantum Break from Game Pass and also gave a bit of hope for those who might be disappointed about the development. In a recent interview with German website Xbox Dynasty, Microsoft shared that the game’s removal is simply due to licensing issues.
However, it’s not all bad news and Microsoft has offered a ray of hope for fans of the sci-fi action-adventure game that grants players the ability to control time. In the interview with Xbox Dynasty, it was revealed that the team is working to bring Quantum Break back to Game Pass “as soon as possible.” Whether it is a matter of missing or expired licenses, the negotiations are already under way, though there have apparently not yet been any agreements reached.
With whom or for what these licenses are needed is unclear, but many people may remember that another Remedy Entertainment game, the original Alan Wake, also experienced licensing issues over its music and was subsequently removed from physical and digital storefronts in 2017. Quantum Break and Alan Wake share a composer, Petri Alanko, and both contain licensed music, so that offers one possible explanation.
Quantum Break came out in 2016 for PC and as an Xbox One console exclusive. It was predominantly highly reviewed by critics, though it received less praise from players. But the game certainly has its dedicated fan base, and many see it as a thematic precursor to Remedy’s Control, which was released three years later to nearly universal acclaim. Currently, the studio is working on sequels to Alan Wake and Control, but Shawn Ashmore, the actor who plays protagonist Jack Joyce in Quantum Break, has expressed an interest in reprising his role if Remedy ever considers making a follow-up.
Quantum Break is currently available on PC and Xbox One.
Source: Xbox Dynasty (via DualShockers)