It’s now quite common to compare video games to other fine arts. A game can evoke emotions just like a good song or an enthralling movie (Perhaps even more so). This comparison is not about assigning value or superiority, but rather paying tribute to all artistic mediums. So, are there any drawbacks that set video games apart from these other forms? Indeed, video games are much more time and technology dependent. While songs from the ’80s can be experienced in the same way today, some games might not feel as enjoyable to play years later. Even worse, you can never play some games again. Today, we’ll discuss a few of those.
Before we delve into the four specific games on our list, it’s crucial to clarify one thing: If we wanted, we could have included 50 games in this list. There are plenty of online games with developer studios that have shut down or simply no longer offer support. You can find lists of these games on the internet. In our list, we’ll focus on games with unique or distinct disappearance stories.
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1. The Culling
The story of The Culling is quite fascinating. Before PUBG, it was one of the earliest examples of Battle Royale games, focusing on melee combat. The early access launch in 2016 was a massive success, and thousands of people fell in love with the game’s mechanics. The full release in 2017 provided a decent experience, despite various bugs and shortcomings.
Up to this point, everything seemed to be going well. However, The Culling’s trajectory changed dramatically following the release of PUBG and the subsequent transformation of the Battle Royale genre. Developer studio Xaviant announced a sequel and launched The Culling 2, an outright PUBG clone. Ignoring the players’ frustration, they shut down all servers for the first game and discontinued official support. Their aim was to push players towards the sequel. As expected, The Culling 2 quickly became a deserted game in just a matter of days.
After recognising their mistake, the developers attempted to revive the original experience several times. Sadly, by 2020, The Culling was shut down for good, never to be reopened. Although the Steam page is still accessible, it’s one of the game you can never play again in 2023. Their official Twitter account’s most recent tweet, from 2020, is about the final Xbox One release.
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2. Flappy Bird
Flappy Bird is a game that, somehow, everyone has heard of or seen gameplay footage. Interestingly, people often perceive it as more recent than it actually is. Why? Because Flappy Bird was released in 2013 – precisely a decade ago – around the time Apple announced the iPhone 5S, the first The Last of Us was launched, and the PlayStation 4 first hit the shelves. It was just a year after Candy Crush, perhaps the most viral mobile game of all time.
So, what happened to Flappy Bird? It’s a platform game with incredibly simple mechanics, where you try to navigate through pipes reminiscent of those in Super Mario. It became a craze that appealed to players aged 7 to 77, with everyone sharing their high scores. The game spread so rapidly, particularly in the United States, that its designer, Dong Nguyen, eventually removed the original version from all official stores. This is because Dong has received numerous death threats about the addictive nature of his game.
At the age of 28, Nguyen claimed that his game was addictive and that he didn’t want to encourage such behaviour. Naturally, hundreds of knockoffs appeared, and devices with the original game installed were sold at steep prices. From now on – there is nothing you can do. Because Flappy Bird is one of the games you can never play again.
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3. P.T. (Playable Teaser for Silent Hill)
If we were to list the most iconic game demos of all time, P.T. would likely make the cut. Developed by Hideo Kojima for Konami, the Playable Teaser was essentially a demo for a new Silent Hill game. Its purpose was to generate hype, showcase the technologies used, and prepare players for the next Silent Hill instalment. It achieved all of its goals, but what makes this game iconic is what happened next.
The project was cancelled due to disputes between Konami and Kojima. Despite significant backlash from players, Konami severed all ties with Kojima. Shortly after, P.T. was removed from the PlayStation Store. Although these events took place in 2014 – about nine years ago – people still hope for a new P.T. or a similar horror game.
Kojima had collaborated with renowned filmmaker Guillermo del Toro on the project. Though they didn’t end up working on a Silent Hill project together, they later partnered on Death Stranding. The stories of P.T. and Flappy Bird share similarities in how they were removed from stores. Hundreds of P.T. remakes were created, and many horror games drew inspiration from it. Various games were developed featuring the same location with gradual changes, but none managed to be as iconic as P.T. So yes – this Silent Hill demo is one of the games you can never play again in 2023.
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4. Fortnite – Season One
It may sound obvious, but online service games are among those that can never truly be played again. Due to their nature, they constantly evolve and receive new updates with fresh content. Fortnite Season One is just one example. In 2023, you won’t be able to play on the original Warzone Verdansk map or experience the launch version of Apex Legends. Sure, you can explore remakes of the first season using Fortnite Creative maps, but even those will have the mechanics of the final version.
It’s not appealing to create a game that won’t last for years without continuous content updates. Why bother with single-player games, right? Instead, it’s much more fun for everyone to create a brand new game with a new Battle Pass every couple of months.
Jokes aside, there’s no right or wrong in this debate. All games are unique in their own way, which is fantastic. But as modern gamers, we need to accept that our favourite season one will never return. Just like The Culling – Epic Games will never bring back the first season. And even if they did, because you’ve changed, it would still be one of the games you can never play again in 2023.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Culling Free on PC?
Yes – The Culling is free on PC. However, it doesn’t matter much now, since the game has been removed from Steam along with all its versions. You can’t play The Culling officially. The developers have closed all the game’s servers and no longer support it. There may be servers that players maintain independently, but exercise caution when searching and joining.
Is PT a Horror Game?
Developed in collaboration with Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro, P.T. is a psychological horror game. More accurately, it’s a teaser, with the abbreviation in its name standing for Playable Teaser. It was created as a promotion for the new Silent Hill game and achieved great success. However, due to conflicts between Konami and Kojima, both the main project was canceled, and P.T. was removed from all platforms. In 2023, you have no chance to download or play P.T. officially.
Can You Still Play Warzone 1?
Yes, you can still download and play Warzone 1. To do so, you need to download the game “Warzone Caldera” through the Battle.net client on PC or from official stores on PlayStation and Xbox. This way, you can access the last version before Warzone 2.0 was released. Note that Infinity Ward no longer provides update support for Warzone 1. Additionally, the Verdansk map is unavailable in any form.
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- My journey into the world of video games began at four, when I was first introduced to arcade machines in 1996. Over the past decades, I've been fortunate enough to witness the incredible evolution of gaming, as it has grown from a niche hobby to a thriving art. Today, I'm dedicated to creating content that celebrates all genres of games. We will talk about them at Player.me.