Doubtful as I was, Disney has stuck to their promise to keep the community updated as Disney Infinity nears its inevitable online shutdown in March of 2017. In their original announcement the Steam versions of Disney Infinity 2.0 and 3.0 were to remain fully playable offline after September 30th. Disconnecting the online features has apparently been a bigger ordeal than expected and Disney has temporarily removed both titles, issuing the following explanation:
As of September 30, 2016, Disney Infinity 2.0 on Steam will temporarily be unavailable to play or purchase. […] Disney Infinity 3.0 will remain playable but will temporarily be unavailable for new downloads. DLC purchases from the Steam storefront and in-game will also be unavailable.
If you have purchased Disney Infinity 2.0 [or 3.0] prior to September 30, 2016, you will be eligible to receive a free Gold Edition of Disney Infinity later this year. The Disney Infinity Gold Edition will allow you to enjoy all Disney Infinity Playsets, characters, and Power Discs at no additional cost.
Please note that the Gold Edition will also include necessary changes to Online Features, which will allow you to continue to play through your adventures once Disney Infinity Servers have been shut down.
For a limited time, you will be able to transfer your Disney Infinity 2.0 [or 3.0] save progression to the new Gold Edition to ensure all your Play Set and Toy Box progress is not lost.
Please check Steam and the Disney Infinity website frequently as we will provide the Disney Infinity community with news and status of the game across all platforms should the status change.
It’s commendable that Disney would go to the lengths to create whole new versions of the game to allow fans to keep playing after the online service shutdown in 2017. While their plans to bring the titles back could still fall through it’s nice that they didn’t simply pull them offline at the first signs of trouble.