 | Digital Release: | Xbox 360 Games on Demand April 16, 2013 (US) |
| Delisting: | January 1, 2014 (Available for: 0y 8m) |
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| Developer: | Z-Axis | |
| Publisher: | Activision Blizzard | |
| Available On: | Retail | |
| Links: | None |
Delisting
The Xbox 360 Games on Demand version of X-Men: The Official Game was confirmed delisted on January 1, 2014.
Speculation
Activision’s initial license to Marvel’s Spider-Man and X-Men properties was established in 2000. In 2003 and again in 2005 Activision announced extensions to the “long-term, broad-based strategic alliance” through the year 2017.
One possibility for the delisting in 2014 rather than 2017 could be due to Disney’s purchase of Marvel in 2009. Activision may have negotiated or been granted an extension up to 2014 on these Spider-Man and X-Men titles which were all delisted on or near January 1st, 2014:
- Spider-Man: Friend or Foe
- Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
- Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (see below)
- Spider-Man: Edge of Time
- Spider-Man 3
- X-Men: The Official Game
- X-Men Destiny
- X-Men Origins: Wolverine
One exception to the list was Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions which reappeared on Xbox 360 in August of 2015 while debuting on Steam in October and on PlayStation 3 in December. It was most recently delisted on all platforms in 2017. All of the other titles above were delisted alongside Activision’s Deadpool game which itself was relisted in 2015 before being delisted again in 2017.
Activision’s more recent games based on Sony Pictures’ The Amazing Spider-Man movies were not delisted in 2014. Presumably, these two were secured under the original 2005 deal or a subsequent deal with Sony Pictures that may have expired in 2016, clearing the way for Insomniac’s Spider-Man game. They were ultimately delisted in January of 2017 alongside many of Activision’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games.
About the Game
“X-Men: The Official Game premieres today at retail outlets nationwide. The game catapults players into an original storyline that allows them to command the distinct powers of Wolverine, Nightcrawler and Iceman as they battle classic Brotherhood villains including Sabretooth, Lady Deathstrike and Multiple Man and traverse unique environments that showcase each character’s abilities while embarking on an epic quest to save mutant-kind.
X-Men: The Official Game is the first Super Hero game for the Xbox(TM) 360 video game system from Microsoft and is available for a suggested retail price of $59.99. The PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox(TM) video game system from Microsoft and the Nintendo(R) GameCube(TM) versions are available for a suggested retail price of $39.99. The PC, Nintendo DS(TM) and Game Boy(R) Advance versions are available for a suggested retail price of $29.99. The console and PC games have been rated “T” (“Teen” — violence) and the handheld games have been rated “E-10+” (“Everyone 10 and older” — fantasy violence) by the ESRB.”
– Activision press release