Shadows of the Damned Mysteriously Disappears from Xbox Store
The world of digital sales can be an odd and frustrating place. For all the good of online purchasing of video games, including easy access, quick buys, fire sales, and more, there are certainly some negatives as well. In the case of Shadows of the Damned, that negative is that it seems like the 360 classic is no longer available for purchase in the Xbox store.
Shadows of the Damned was an action horror game created by Goichi Suda (No More Heroes) and directed by Shinji Mikami (Resident Evil 4). The late generation 360 and PS3 title was an enjoyable game published by EA in 2011. It has a bit of a cult following and it reviewed well.
Thanks to the Xbox One backward compatibility, the Xbox 360 version of Shadow of the Damned has been available for purchase on the Xbox One. But recently, it looks like the game has been removed.
There is a pretty large DLC and Shocktober in Summer sale going on right now for the Xbox store. Among the games listed for sale is Shadows of the Damned (75% off). However, as fans try to purchase and download the action game, it seems that there is no "buy" button. No one seems to yet be able to confirm if it is due to a glitch in the system, or if the game has truly been delisted.
Games can be taken off the store for various reasons. Recently a Nintendo Switch game was taken down because it was given the wrong rating. Do Not Feed the Monkeys was rated E in the Nintendo eShop, even though it had mature content.
Forza Motorsport 6 also was delisted last year. The racer was taken down thanks to car licensing deals being expired. It's a trend that seems to happen semi-often for the Forza games.
When it comes to Shadows of the Damned, it could be that EA no longer wants the game to be available, or that some sort of licensing agreement ended. Games can also often go on sale right before being shut down, this was the case for DuckTales Remastered before it was delisted.
There is certainly a case for digital-only consoles and purchasing. The convenience and ease of access are probably top on the list for reasons why people enjoy it. However, it certainly stinks when a beloved game is no longer available to purchase. If consoles were to go completely digital, like the PS5 Digital Edition and rumored Xbox Lockhart, there would be no option to snag a physical copy when games get taken down completely from digital stores.
Shadows of the Damned was released originally in 2011 for the PS3 and Xbox 360.
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