Forza Horizon 4: Delisting and Removal of All DLC

[nomdeplume]

Today as part of announcement FH4 will be delisted at the end of this year. All DLC were removed from purchase outside of heavily discounted premium versions of the game that are incomplete in their offerings.

I'm regretting not picking up the Lego DLC last week right about now. Fortune Island is simply one of the best DLC in the entire franchise and would justify purchasing the most complete edition alone.

 

[Klemc]

They do verry strange things, removing a game, why ?

 

[Dristun]

They do verry strange things, removing a game, why ?

Licenses for something present in the game are probably about to run out.

 

[oxrufiioxo]

Licenses for something present in the game are probably about to run out.

My guess as well and the cost of renewing them is higher than any projected profits going forward.

Probably better to remove the game from sale vs removing Cars/music etc it's not like it hasn't been for sale for over half a decade at this point.

Still in the digital future this always feels bad.

 

[P4-630]

Hello, Forza Horizon community! We have to share a couple of updates regarding Forza Horizon 4, its availability, and the changes we are bringing to the Festival Playlist in the near future.

Due to licensing and agreements with our partners, Forza Horizon 4 will be delisted from digital platforms (Microsoft Store and Steam) on December 15, 2024. This means the game and its additional content will no longer be available for purchase through online stores.

Before the delisting date, the Festival Playlist’s flow will change as follows:

• Starting July 25, we will have the final series for the game in Series 77 which will include the last Festival Playlist that ends on August 22.
• After Series 77 ends on August 22, you will no longer be able to access the playlist screen, except to see the festival playlist history. When booting the game, you will be taken to the Festival Site screen rather than the Festival Playlist.
• Even though there won’t be any more Festival Playlists after Series 77 (August 22), you will still be able to see the Forza Events screen which will include a selection of daily and weekly challenges. Completing these challenges and Forzathon Live Events will earn you Forzathon Points that you can exchange for Backstage Passes.
• We will update the Backstage Pass Cars list with all the remaining cars that have previously been Festival Playlist Exclusive after Series 77.

Series 77, ending on August 22, will be the last chance to earn achievements tied with the Festival Playlist including:

Achievement
Points
Description
A Creature of Habit
15
Complete all Seasonal Championships in a Festival Playlist Series.
Stunt Puller
15
Complete all Seasonal PR Stunts in a Festival Playlist Series.
Cashing In
20
Earn 1 Season Completion Bonus.
Perfectionist
30
Earn all 8 Season Completion Bonuses in the same Series.
Encore?
50
Complete all activities in a single Festival Playlist Series.


Starting today, June 25; Forza Horizon 4’s DLC will get delisted from platforms, meaning that only Forza Horizon 4 Standard, Deluxe, and Ultimate versions will be available for purchase from this day until delisting happens.

From this date forward we will offer different discounts for Forza Horizon 4, like the one currently active on STEAM (at the time of publishing); we will also have a sale in the Xbox Store on 7/14. Please keep an eye out on our socials and different platforms to take advantage of future offers.

On December 15, Forza Horizon 4 will be delisted from stores and Xbox Game Pass. This means the game and its additional content will no longer be available for purchase. Players who already own the game and its content will be able to download and play it as normal, including its offline, online, and multiplayer features; physical copies of the game purchased after this date will also work and will be able to use online features.

If you played Forza Horizon 4 through Xbox Game Pass and purchased DLC content for it, worry not: by having an active, full-paid (not discounted) Xbox Game Pass subscription on 6/25 you will be eligible to receive a game token if you have purchased any extra content for Forza Horizon 4 through your Xbox Message Center. Codes will start to be delivered in the following days, please bear in mind that it might take a while before you get your token.

Unused tokens will expire starting at 6/25/26; if you haven’t received your token by this date, please contact Xbox Support

Thank you so much for enjoying the content updates we have brought to this game. Remember to make the most of the remaining time of the Festival Playlist and that when the game is delisted, you’ll still be able to play it as you always have.

If you have any more questions, please refer to our FAQ

 

[_JP_]

One more down. Now, only those owning the game will have multiplayer server for the next 2 years and then that is cut-off, too.
They have been doing this since Horizon 1.

 

[Super Firm Tofu]

Unfortunately, it's not the first time for Forza games. Motorsport 7 and Horizon 3 suffered the same fate. At least Horizon 4 was available through Steam as the other two require the Microsoft Store to download and play.

Horizon 5 will be the last game I bought from them. With the addition of the car DLCs packs at $5-$10 each, even to those of us who shelled out for the 'ultimate' edition, I'm done.

 

[MrDweezil]

Eventually happens to every racing game with licensed cars. The Forza guys have been pretty good in the past about offering the games at steep discounts before they get delisted though. I'm not actually sure if I own this one or just put a million hours into it via gamepass, but if its the latter I feel like I owe them a few bucks.

 

[natr0n]

I love offline backups.

 

[Klemc]

GOG

 

[nomdeplume]

I didn't quote the official or store specific releases in case the front page picked this up.
OP was intended to serve as a heads up with 5.5 months left on the clock.
Removing all DLC was more or less the currently relevant bit of information

GOG

Does not and has not been licensed to carry Forza games so far as I'm aware.

 

[P4-630]

Does not and has not been licensed to carry Forza games so far as I'm aware.

No they don't.

If they had it I would have already bought it there.

 

[chrcoluk]

Used to this stuff with square enix games.

FF15 had temporary DLCs due to short term agreements in place.
FF13-2 had costumes pulled from sale some years back, when xbox store got overhauled, MS messed up and the lock was released for a short time, those sales were honoured, PC version never had access to assassins creed stuff at all, although were left in game files so a mod unlocked them.
FF13-3 lightning returns, sqare enix I assume aware of the previous mod, in this game physically removed licence expired content so a mod couldnt unlock it. Ironically one of them was FF7 content which they hold the rights to. The FF7 garb was likely because in japan it was a timed exclusive DLC and that community went wild when it went on sale as DLC later on console.
FF13-2 PC had some costumes removed in a patch update, the mod mentioned above brought them back as they werent removed in code just disabled, interestingly they didnt get removed on the console versions.
FF7 ever crisis has a ton of timed exclusive content. You sneeze you miss it.
FF13-3 lightning returns on console has online DRM, if you load the game and are not online, the DLC will change to a unknown item and not be usable in game. The online check is done roughly every 3 days between successful checks on my observation, providing game is running all that time, if its restarted its always checked on launch. PC version doesnt have the online DRM.

 

[nomdeplume]

One more down. Now, only those owning the game will have multiplayer server for the next 2 years and then that is cut-off, too.
They have been doing this since Horizon 1.

For the record, FH4 Eliminator is best Eliminator.

Looking forward to 100+ strong lobbies there.

 

[ir_cow]

Licenses for something present in the game are probably about to run out.

Exactly. Music or car license is expired.

 

[_JP_]

Exactly. Music or car license is expired.

Cars are easy to solve: Create mock-up brands and badges, modify the cars just enough cosmetically (actually, just the front grill and taillights in most cases) and you're done!
Music is another whole ordeal, but with enough effort, you could do an alternative BGM. Enough musicians exist that would love the opportunity, no need to go after a label.

Does it make sense to business? No because consumer loyalty is a thing of the past. Consumer addiction is the new paradigm, that takes advantage of FOMO to always get the latest, shiniest (on the surface) and greatest.
That is why you get away with taking 6 years to release a game that in the end is a late-beta version of it, that is basically a game engine change.

 

[64K]

The music licenses expiring is what I heard. The game is on sale right now on Steam for $12 but that expires tomorrow when the Summer Sale begins.

 

[Chomiq]

Cars are easy to solve: Create mock-up brands and badges, modify the cars just enough cosmetically (actually, just the front grill and taillights in most cases) and you're done!
Music is another whole ordeal, but with enough effort, you could do an alternative BGM. Enough musicians exist that would love the opportunity, no need to go after a label.

Sounds like a lot of work, while delisting is just one click away.

 

[AusWolf]

So that's why the discount now!

It was high time I bought it anyway. I've been promising myself "in the next sale" for years now.

 

[Assimilator]

The whole point of these games is that the people who buy them, buy the new version every time one is released - just like how football players buy EA Sports games every year even though literally the only change is the roster. These developers, unfortunately, know their market and that market doesn't particularly care about replayability or getting shafted.

 

[AusWolf]

The whole point of these games is that the people who buy them, buy the new version every time one is released - just like how football players buy EA Sports games every year even though literally the only change is the roster. These developers, unfortunately, know their market and that market doesn't particularly care about replayability or getting shafted.

Yep. It's ironic that these people never learn. I've never understood, and probably will never understand why we need another Battlefield or FIFA game every year.

Forza Horizon 4 is an outlier for me, as it's set in Britain with proper right-hand drive cars, which is quite unique. I'm not interested in FH 3 or 5, or any other iteration, though.

 

[arni-gx]

damn it, man.....so today, it is the right time to collect all their DLC in steam store.... ?

 

[64K]

damn it, man.....so today, it is the right time to collect all their DLC in steam store.... ?

Right now it's guaranteed on a good sale. It might not be at a better sale price before delisting permanently.

 

[Chomiq]

damn it, man.....so today, it is the right time to collect all their DLC in steam store.... ?

Aren't the DLCs already delisted?

I bought it during sale in MS store back in the day. Haven't played it in years.

 

[Onasi]

What I “love” most about this is that MS, one of the biggest and richest companies on the planet, is definitely the one who easily could pay for prolonging the license and, frankly, keep doing it indefinitely. You know, for the sake of game preservation and all that good stuff. But, of course, they don’t, because even a tiny bit of “irrational” expenses is too much and games are just meant to be disposable products.