One of the biggest innovations in gaming this past decade has been the prevalence of digital copies, especially in the world of PC gaming. The convenience of obtaining games without having to go to a physical store or requiring a disc or cartridge has made this method of buying games the go-to option for many gamers. However, many game consumers have expressed fears over publishers having too much control over their games’ availability online, especially when games are removed from digital storefronts. This seems to now be the case with the Lego LOTR and Lego The Hobbit games on digital stores such as Steam.

PCGamer recently reported on the discovery made by several Redditors and online patrons of digital games. These users noticed that the Lego Lord of the Rings and Lego The Hobbit games by Tt Games had their Steam pages still up, but had removed the purchase option for each game. Upon reaching out to Warner Bros., the publisher for these games had confirmed these removals by saying:

“Lego: The Lord of the Rings and Lego: The Hobbit will no longer be available for sale in digital stores. The games will remain in players’ libraries if they already own them.”

Warner Bros. did not give a reason for these games no longer being available for purchase digitally, though many have theorized that an expired license related to the various parties that own the LOTR intellectual properties and films could be to blame. Still, for others, this represents the fears of digital stores making games unavailable at a moment’s notice and infringing upon the preservation of the medium. Hopefully Warner Bros. remedies the situation and makes these PRECIOUS gameses available again for Sméagol to playses. Are you guys upset to see Lego LOTR and Lego The Hobbit removed from digital stores? Let us know in the comments below.

Be sure to stay tuned for the latest Lego news, such as one fan’s Lego Fallout fan video, here on Don’t Feed the Gamers! Follow us on Twitter to see our updates the minute they go live!