Bulletstorm has been removed from the Steam store without any official announcement. It is one of the games that still requires the Games For Windows Live service for save games and multiplayer. That service may end on July 1.
While no official reason has been given for the game’s removal from the Steam store, it is quite possible that it is related to the integration of Games For Windows Live. Little is known about what developer Epic Games will do with Bulletstorm now that Games For Windows Live may go offline soon. An employee of the developer in August of last year, by means of a tweet know that there was ‘internal consultation’ about the future of the game, but nothing more was said about this.
In August 2013, reports came out that the Games For Windows Live service would be shut down on July 1, 2014. These reports were based on a support page for Microsoft’s game Age of Empires Online, which read that “The Games For Windows Live service will be discontinued on July 1, 2014′. However, another Xbox.com support page now states that the service will continue to work. Anyway, several games that use GFWL have been pulled from sale or updated to use, for example, Steamworks instead of Microsoft’s service.
Bulletstorm may return to the Steam store in the future with an alternative on GFWL. However, it wouldn’t be the first case of a game using Microsoft’s service and simply disappearing. For example, Codemasters’ Fuel and Dirt 2 games disappeared from the Steam store last year and have not returned. Another possibility is that publisher EA will take the opportunity to only offer the game on Origin and in due course incorporate an alternative to GFWL in the game.
Gamers who have purchased or activated Bulletstorm on Steam in the past will still be able to install and play the game until GFWL closes in July. The game does not support offline profiles, so without GFWL or an official or unofficial patch, the game would no longer be playable. Bulletstorm is still available through Origin, but that version also uses GFWL.
Update, 15:14: The article stated that it is certain that GFWL will go offline. However, this is not certain, but there are signs that it may be true. The article has been adapted accordingly.