Earlier this morning, an announcement came from famed game publisher SEGA that Alpha Protocol will be officially removed from Steam. A few hours later, a spokesperson from the company informed Game Watcher that “following the expiry of Sega’s publishing rights for Alpha Protocol, the title has been removed from Steam and is no longer on sale."
Alpha Protocol is an espionage-themed action RPG that was developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by SEGA back in 2010. The game features plenty of customization options and thrilling gameplay that put players in the shoes of a pseudo-James Bond type character with a license to kill. In Q4 of 2018, however, Microsoft acquired Obsidian Entertainment, leaving fans of Obsidian curious as to what would happen to many of the developer's titles, particularly those published by other companies.
Despite Alpha Protocol being no longer available on Steam, players who already own the title shouldn’t be affected at all.
Alpha Protocol was definitely a huge hit at launch despite a myriad of technical problems, and now that the rights are back with Obsidian Entertainment (and therefore, Microsoft), possibilities are opening up for the franchise. There’s been plenty of demand for a follow-up to the title, and now that Obsidian has access to Microsoft’s resources and initiatives, it seems a sequel could be underway.
Of course, there haven’t been any official statements from Obsidian Entertainment, but we’re in the process of finding out as much as we can about this development and what it means for the Alpha Protocol franchise. Check back again soon with Player.One for the latest news on this development.
What do you think about the expiry of Sega’s publishing rights and the subsequent removal of Alpha Protocol from Steam? Do you own the game on Steam, and if so, how have you been affected by the announcement? Are you looking forward to the possibility of Alpha Protocol 2 or an otherwise-titled sequel? Let us know in the comments section below!
