Alpha Protocol has been pulled from digital storefronts, but it’s not because Sega wanted to stop selling it.

In case you weren’t around in the heady days of 2010 (or were just too busy playing other, better games), Alpha Protocol was a third-person action spy RPG made by Obsidian and published by Sega. Players assumed control of a new recruit to an American spy agency that’s so covert not even the American government knows about it.

If this sounds like the plot of Mission Impossible or other such spy movies, you’re basically on the right track.

Alpha Protocol was met with mixed reviews upon release, with most praising its interesting story, writing, and voice acting (three things Obsidian is known for) while lambasting it's repetitive and janky combat. It also came out around the same time as Mass Effect, which did the whole “choices affect narrative” and multiple conversation options thing a lot better.

The game achieved cult classic status with many of its adherents praising what was at the time a risky genre. And now you can’t buy it anymore.

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If you head to the Alpha Protocol page on the Steam storefront you’ll be met with the message: “At the request of the publisher, Alpha Protocol™ is no longer available for sale on Steam.”

Alpha Protocol
via Steam
Alpha Protocol

Why would Sega pull Alpha Protocol? It’s certainly not because Sega is allergic to money (although judging by past performance, we’d understand if you thought otherwise). It’s actually because the license for the game’s soundtrack expired.

"Due to the expiry of music rights in Alpha Protocol, the title has been removed from Steam and is no longer on sale," Sega told Gamespot in a statement. Sega went on to reiterate that people who already own Alpha Protocol can still play it and download it whenever they want, but nobody can currently purchase the game.

It’s currently unknown if Sega will repurchase the licenses for the Alpha Protocol soundtrack.

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