Another opportunity arises for justifying piracy as Small Radios Big Televisions faces removal from both Steam and the PlayStation Store within the next 60 days.

Owen Deery, the creator of Small Radios Big Televisions, reveals that Warner Bros Discovery has notified him of the game’s impending removal from Steam and the PlayStation Store, a theme all too common in modern times.

Small Radios Big Televisions, an indie puzzle game initially launched in 2016, immerses players in the exploration of deserted factories to uncover lost cassette tapes holding “boundless virtual worlds.”

Small Radios Big Televisions was published by Adult Swim Games, a subsidiary of Warner Bros Discovery. Fire Face has announced that the game will soon be removed from both the Steam and PlayStation 4 storefronts at the request of the company, citing “internal business changes.” However, specific details regarding these changes were not provided.

In response to his games’ impending removal, he has decided to offer it for free on his studio’s website.

After the release of their final project, Radio Viscera, Owen Deery decided to take a step back from game development due to burnout. He views the removal of Small Radios Big Televisions as emblematic of the gaming industry’s disregard for digital preservation, a problem that piracy addresses.

Over the years, many games have disappeared from availability, often due to licensing issues. Even if a game remains accessible, it may undergo significant alterations, as seen with Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas due to a large amount of its in-game music tracks had their license expire.

Deery shared on Twitter that he will continue to receive royalty payments from Small Radios Big Televisions sales as long as the game is available for purchase. But obviously, this doesn’t really mean jack shit as he has decided to offer the game for free anyway.

He intends to maintain this free availability indefinitely, stating, “It’s costing me zero dollars to make it available” which is rather admirable from an indie developer, but then again his hands are tied due to corporate intervention so he can either take a loss and hand his game out like free candy or another digital only game gets scuttled and is long forgotten. The soundtrack will also be available for purchase on Bandcamp.