As the saying goes, “You’ll own nothing, and you’ll be happy.” Cartoon Network, a once-beloved cornerstone of Western animation and a Warner Bros. Discovery property, has abruptly removed at least six of its games from digital distribution platforms like Steam and Nintendo’s eShop.
This highlights the growing issues in modern gaming, where digitalization, while marketed as a convenience, ultimately shifts power away from consumers and into the hands of publishers, license holders, and platform operators. Digital media may maximize profits for corporations, but it comes at the cost of consumer rights. Ownership becomes a thing of the past, as countless games have been delisted or rendered unplayable due to reliance on online services. In the realm of digital rights, the consumer essentially has none.
Storefronts from console giants like Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo, along with PC platforms like Steam or even GOG’s “Preservation Program” offers no safeguards for buyers. When you “purchase” a digital game, you’re merely acquiring a license tied to your account, one that can be revoked at any time. Publishers can also abruptly delist or restrict access to their content, often citing licensing agreements. This system leaves gamers at the mercy of corporations, eroding the idea of true ownership.
In recent years, we’ve witnessed a disturbing trend in the gaming industry where companies abruptly terminate online services and even revoke access to games. Ubisoft, for example, shut down online services for its live-service racer The Crew, going as far as removing the game from owners’ libraries. Similarly, catastrophic failures like The Walking Dead: Betrayal and Overkill’s The Walking Dead were pulled from digital platforms not long after their disastrous launches.
Even successful titles haven’t been spared; older Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon games were removed from sale by Microsoft, largely due to their refusal to renew car licensing agreements, likely as a way to push consumers toward their newer, arguably inferior, installments.
Warner Bros.’ gaming division has also seen its share of setbacks. While the massive success of Hogwarts Legacy provided a brief high, it has been overshadowed by the catastrophic failure of Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The game, originally an online-only title, flopped so spectacularly that it resulted in a $200 million loss and led to significant layoffs.
In the aftermath of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, it appears Warner Bros. is scaling back its gaming ambitions. The company has now delisted every title published directly by Cartoon Network Games. This process began as early as December 17th on Xbox, and in recent days, the delistings have extended to Steam, PlayStation, and Nintendo platforms.
The removed titles include:
Steven Universe: Unleash the Light
Adventure Time: Finn and Jake’s Epic Quest
Adventure Time: Magic Man’s Head Games
Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time (still available on the Epic Games Store)
The recent takedowns come just a few months after Warner Bros. shut down the Cartoon Network website, redirecting visitors to its Max website instead. This follows the removal of several Adult Swim-published games earlier this year.
Despite the wave of delistings, a small handful of Cartoon Network titles remain available, for now. Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake and Cartoon Network Journeys VR are still on Steam as of December 26. The DLC soundtrack for OK K.O.! Let’s Play Heroes is also still up, and Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time remains purchasable on the Epic Games Store.
However, these lingering titles seem likely to vanish soon as well, especially since games such as Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time are still relatively modern, having released back in August 2020.
Licensed Cartoon Network games handled by external publishers appear to have escaped this purge, at least for the time being. Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion, published by Outright Games, is still available and on sale across platforms until early January. Similarly, Cartoon Network: Battle Crashers from GameMill is discounted on PlayStation and Xbox into the new year.
Meanwhile, Ben 10: Power Trip and Ben 10 are also still available across all major platforms and are part of ongoing sales into January.
This situation highlights yet another example of how modern gaming often works against the consumer. Games, accounts, and digital assets can be revoked or removed entirely, leaving players with no recourse. Publishers and platform holders have significant control over what constitutes terms violations, with acts deemed as “hate speech” often punished more severely than cheating.
Given the precarious nature of digital ownership, the argument for piracy as a means to preserve access grows stronger, if publishers can revoke access at will, it raises questions about the fairness of acquiring such games through unofficial channels, your children will thank you for it.
