It's spooky season. In other words, people are dragging out their favorite horror games to get scared. Some people might browse stores like Steam to find interesting and creepy games to try for the first time, and if you'd asked me for a recommendation a few days ago, Condemned: Criminal Origins would have been pretty high on my list. Unfortunately I can't recommend it any more. However, it has been removed from the list, not because of terrible gameplay mechanics or quality issues, but because it is actually no longer available on Steam.
Condemnation: Criminal Origins Removed from Steam and Xbox Store
First reported by Twitter account Wario64, Condemned: Criminal Origins appears to have been removed from both Steam and the Xbox Store, but no specific reason was given. If you check the game's Steam page, you'll see a notification on the platform that the game is no longer available for purchase, and again no explanation is provided. You can find Steam codes to sell games elsewhere, but buying them on Steam is no longer an option.
It's a bit difficult to pinpoint why the game was shut down without warning on the spookiest day of the year. There have been issues with games like Alan Wake being broken in the past, especially because the game didn't have licensed music. It may be because developer Monolith Productions shut down earlier this year, but we don't see how this could lead to the delisting of one of its older games in less than a year.
Many fans of the game are taking this news as half a cup, suggesting that it could mean a remaster could be in the works. Nightdive Studios has been pretty good at bringing back niche horror games lately, including System Shock, Blood, and The Thing, and the studio recently interviewed Monolith co-founder Jace Hall, so the two got in touch. I think it all depends on whether Warner Bros. actually has the rights to the Condemned series.
Anyway, it's still sad to see one of the most overlooked horror games of all time disappear from online stores, with physical copies currently being the only legal way to actually get the game. This is just another example of how important video game preservation is today. This will ensure that games like Condemned: Criminal Origins don't get completely lost in time.
