Updated Jan 6: Thanks to the folks who pointed out that this is not exactly a new development. Many delisted games like Deadpool are intentionally still available using the method below.
In 2013, High Moon Studios delivered us a funny and juvenile game called Deadpool. It’s not too charming but it’s a lot of fun for whoever is immature enough to enjoy these shenanigans. This happens to be this author’s case, fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on who you ask).
The game is expertly voiced by none other than Nolan North, it was published through Activision, and it has seen a bit of a bumpy road when it comes to availability. It first released on PS3 and Xbox 360 back in 2013. The game was pulled out from all digital stores in 2014 because a licensing deal expired between Activision and Marvel.
Luckily, the game was remastered for PS4/Xbox One in 2015. This happened just before the release of the Deadpool Movie in 2016 that finally gave Ryan Reynolds the opportunity to play the merc with a mouth as Rob Liefield intended. The movie was a wild success and sent tremors through the superhero movie genre. However, the Deadpool game faced licensing issues yet again. This resulted in its delisting in 2017.
Today, January 5th 2025, as I’m presently typing this, we have “Deadpool & Wolverine” available on Disney+. My wife and I decided to watch it last night for a third time since its release. We simply can’t get enough of that NSYNC intro. So, of course, earlier today, I decide to look up on my phone to see if there were any developments about this licensing issue and to my surprise I find this link:
https://store.playstation.com/concept/201050
Used on a desktop computer, the link only says that the game is announced and lets you wishlist it.
If you are on a mobile device with the PSN app installed, it opens the store page in the app. At least, it does for me on my Android device. If you bought the digital copy of the game, you can install it remotely. I bought it way back of course and was indeed able to install it remotely.
Sure enough, I now get to finally enjoy this game on my PlayStation Portal, through my PS5 Pro with my save data retrieved safely from the cloud. There is now no need to track down a physical copy of the game that often sells upwards of $150 due to its rarity and the popularity of its protagonist.
Of course, the game isn’t openly listed in the PSN. This means that it’s not possible to enjoy it through the cloud in any way beyond Remote Play like I’m doing here with my PlayStation Portal.
I hope Microsoft finds value in negotiating a deal with Marvel after they acquired Activision more than a year ago to give this game more wide availability. It would be great to bring those titles back to us, the gamers, for the sake of game preservation.
Nice! Awesome job and great article.
Thanks!!
This has always been available to download if you owned it, even if I was delisted. Your posts and articles are misleading and makes it seem like it’s “back” on digital for everyone.
Thanks for the feedback! We’ve just updated the article to be clear that this is not a new development but is timely given the recent movie release.