Aliens: Fireteam Elite has had its cloud servers shut down, leaving Nintendo Switch homeowners unable to play the sport with none type of refund.
Whereas this shutdown doesn’t come as a shock — homeowners have been knowledgeable of the servers’ impending closure earlier this yr — the loss of one other digital service is sparking headlines within the wake of PlayStation’s current controversial announcement that it was ending disc manufacturing for brand spanking new PS5 video games from January 2028 onwards.
As gamers talk about the inevitable rise in digital downloads and loss of permanently-playable bodily copies, Aliens: Fireteam Elite has change into the newest cloud-based Switch sport to get switched off, simply three years on from its 2023 launch.
Beforehand offered for $29.99 or $59.99 for its Final Version, Aliens: Fireteam Elite follows Sq. Enix’s cloud-based Kingdom Hearts Assortment into silicon heaven. Kingdom Hearts homeowners may get a reduction when re-buying the video games for Switch 2, although there is not any phrase on the same provide for Fireteam Elite.
Certainly, Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 will quickly launch for Nintendo Switch 2 — and it looks like developer Chilly Iron Studios is content material for followers to simply go purchase that at full worth as an alternative.
“Reminder for anybody that also wants to listen to it: By no means ever purchase a cloud sport,” one fan wrote in a prolonged thread discussing the shutdown on Reddit. “You do not personal it and it may be taken away from you at any time.”
“I really feel dangerous for anybody who purchased into these cloud video games however you needed to count on this to occur,” wrote one other fan. “I’m additionally not defending this follow both. They need to provide refunds for these video games in the event that they really feel like they will merely take them away on a whim.”
In contrast to when digital video games are delisted (which may usually be redownloaded in case you have bought them beforehand), cloud video games exist solely on distant servers. When buying a “copy” of the sport, you’re merely paying for a license to entry the copy hosted elsewhere — with seemingly no safety if entry is later eliminated.
Final week, Sony was noticed inserting advisory stickers on PlayStation 5 consoles, warning gamers that bodily video games will quickly be discontinued. Mockingly, Nintendo has prompt it has no plans to comply with go well with, declaring final week that it nonetheless sells greater than a 3rd of its video games as boxed copies.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s Information Editor. You may attain Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or discover him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social