The Switch version of Aliens: Fireteam Elite has officially gone dark, and honestly, who’s surprised? It’s just another example of the lovely world of cloud gaming, where you don’t actually own the game, you just rent it until the publisher decides to pull the plug. In this case, anyone who shelled out $29.99 for the standard edition or $59.99 for the Ultimate Edition is now left with a fancy paperweight, as the game’s cloud servers went offline on August 5th.
The Cloud Gaming Conundrum
It’s a curious thing, this cloud gaming business. On the one hand, it’s great that we can play games without having to worry about hardware limitations. On the other hand, it’s a bit concerning that we’re essentially at the mercy of the publishers and their servers. I mean, what’s to stop them from just shutting down the game whenever they feel like it? Oh wait, nothing. As we’ve seen with Aliens: Fireteam Elite, the game’s cloud-streaming edition is now permanently unplayable on the Nintendo Switch. And if you look at the fine print, you’ll see that Nintendo’s terms and conditions essentially say that when you buy a cloud game, you’re agreeing to the possibility of it being taken away from you at any time, without any refund or compensation.
Live Service Games: The Gift That Keeps On Taking
And then there are the live service games, which are always a blast… until they’re not. Games like Need For Speed: Rivals and The Crew have already shown us what happens when the servers get shut down. The game becomes unplayable, and you’re left with nothing. No refund, no compensation, just a big fat nothing. It’s like buying a car, only to have the manufacturer come and take it away from you a year later, saying “sorry, we’re not supporting that model anymore.”
Cloud Streaming: The Future of Gaming?
XBOX and PlayStation are both investing heavily in cloud streaming, with their own versions of cloud gaming options for subscribers. And while it’s convenient to be able to play games without having to download them, it’s hard not to think about the potential pitfalls. I mean, what happens when the game gets delisted? Do you just lose access to it forever? It’s a bit unsettling, to say the least. And with services like Amazon Luna and Netflix offering their own exclusive games that utilize cloud streaming, it’s only a matter of time before we see more games disappear into the ether.
The PlayStation Backlash
The recent backlash over PlayStation’s decision to eliminate physical media is starting to make a lot more sense in light of the Aliens: Fireteam Elite debacle. I mean, who wants to buy a game that can just be taken away from them at any moment? It’s like buying a book, only to have the publisher come and take it away from you, saying “sorry, we’re not printing that book anymore.” It’s just not a good look for the gaming industry, and it’s only going to get worse unless something changes.
And so, dear gamers, the next time you’re thinking of buying a cloud game, remember: you’re not actually buying the game, you’re just renting it until the publisher decides to pull the plug. So, go ahead and enjoy your cloud gaming experience, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. After all, as the great philosopher, Ferris Bueller, once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Or in this case, your game could get delisted, and you’ll be left with nothing.
Pixel P. Snarkbyte, widely regarded as the “Shakespeare of Sh*tposts,” is a video game expert with a unique knack for turning pixels into punchlines.
Born in the small town of Respawn, Pennsylvania, Pixel grew up mashing buttons on an ancient NES controller, firmly believing that “blowing into the cartridge” was a sacred ritual passed down through generations.
Pixel P. Snarkbyte: proving that life, much like a buggy open-world game, is better with a little lag-induced chaos.
