Update 07/11/2022: Ubisoft sent the following statement saying that current owners "will still be able to access, play or redownload" them.
As stated in our support article, only DLCs and online features will be affected by the upcoming decommissioning. Current owners of those games will still be able to access, play or redownload them. Our teams are working with our partners to update this information across all storefronts and are also assessing all available options for players who will be impacted when these games’ online services are decommissioned on September 1st, 2022. It has always been our intention to do everything in our power to allow those legacy titles to remain available in the best possible conditions for players, and this is what we are working towards.
Ubisoft is removing access to Assassin's Creed: Liberation HD on Steam – seemingly even for users who have already bought the game.
As spotted by Nors3 on Twitter (below), the game can no longer be purchased on Steam following instruction from Ubisoft to remove it from sale. "At the request of the publisher, Assassin’s Creed: Liberation HD is no longer available for sale on Steam," a notice on its page reads.
Beyond just being removed from sale, however, "this title will not be accessible following September 1, 2022", a second notice adds.
Ubisoft is making a precedent on Steam as Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD will not be accessible following September 1st, 2022. Even if you already bought it, a bar new low for consumers. pic.twitter.com/hRmmb2yM3w
— Nors3.eth (@Nors3) July 10, 2022
Ubisoft announced last week that it was shutting down online connectivity for 15 games on the same date, with Liberation HD being one of them, but nothing suggested access to the game would be removed completely. "You will be unable to link Ubisoft accounts in-game or use online features," Ubisoft said of the PC version. "Additionally, the installation and access to DLC will be unavailable."
This version of Liberation - which is an HD port of the original PlayStation Vita game - is also accessible for free with Assassin's Creed 3, but this costs $39.99, and users who have bought and paid for the original version would essentially have to buy it again.
Removing access to a game customers have paid for without at least offering refunds is relatively unheard of on Steam, though it appears that Ubisoft will set that precedent with Liberation HD.
IGN has reached out to both Ubisoft and Steam's parent company Valve for comment.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.