 | Digital Release: | Xbox 360 Games on Demand February 12, 2013 (AU, EU, US) |
| Delisting: | January 1, 2014 (Available for: 0y 10m) |
|
| Developer: | Raven Software | |
| Publisher: | Activision Blizzard | |
| Available On: | Retail | |
| Links: | None |
Delisting
The Xbox 360 Games on Demand version of X-Men Origins: Wolverine 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 Origins: Wolverine is an epic action-adventure featuring a true-to-character Wolverine gameplay experience that takes gamers through and beyond the movie’s storyline. Set in a variety of vivid real-world locales, the title challenges players to hone their animal instinct as they uncover hidden dangers, hunt and destroy enemies, and take on seemingly insurmountable situations while discovering the truth about Wolverine’s tragic past. With razor-sharp adamantium claws unsheathed, the future X-Man enacts lightning-quick combat, evasive maneuvers, in-depth combo attacks, and an array of brutal finishing moves. Wolverine doesn’t just deliver massive damage, either — he also takes it, thanks to his mutant regenerative power that heals him in real time right before the player’s eyes.
The title is in development by Raven Studios and Amaze Entertainment.”
– Activision press release