Summary
- Humble Bundle pulled Indiana Jones and the Great Circle from its online store after mistakenly offering it for free.
- Players who claimed the free game had it revoked by Humble Bundle, even those who had already installed it on Steam, causing frustration and disappointment.
- The game's removal may be due to a pricing mistake or involvement from Microsoft or ZeniMax, showing the complexities of digital game ownership.
In an unfortunate development for the players who recently got to add Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to their Steam libraries for free, Humble Bundle has temporarily pulled the game from its online store. In early December, Bethesda Softworks and Wolfenstein: The New Order developer MachineGames brought the legendary fedora-wearing archeologist to Windows and Xbox systems in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Reviews for the game are already very positive, with many praising its puzzle-solving and tomb-exploring gameplay.
Recently, some fans got the chance to put on Indy’s iconic hat completely free of charge, thanks to a promotional offer from Humble Bundle. Earlier this week, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was marked “free” on Humble Bundle website, prompting a large wave of Steam owners to rush in and claim their download codes for the newly released treasure-hunting sim by linking their Steam accounts.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s Place on the Franchise Timeline Explained
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle wastes no time setting up its core premise, and that might leave some newcomers in the dust regarding the timeline.
However, it seems that this offer was too good to be true, as Humble Bundle has since revoked the free Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Steam download keys, stating that the game was incorrectly marked as “free” due to a “mistake in the provided pricing for this game.” As reported by PCGamer, not only has this rendered any unactivated Indiana Jones product keys given away at the time null and void, but copies are being pulled from Steam libraries even after they had already been registered.
"Free" Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Copies Are Being Deactivated
This has understandably caused a headache for players who had already started to play Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on PC, only to log onto Steam and find that their copy is no longer in their library. A post on r/pcgaming is filled with such accounts, who note that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has been completely delisted from the Humble Bundle website for the time being. Indiana Jones will probably return to the Humble Bundle store in time, but for now interested players will have to look elsewhere.
Judging from this action, it seems that Microsoft or ZeniMax (the parent company of Bethesda that was purchased by Microsoft in 2021) might have ordered the game removed from the Humble Bundle store until the cause of the incident has been confirmed. Meanwhile, the idea of a game being deactivated after being purchased (and played through) is a consequence of the digital era, where product keys like the ones used to get a temporarily free copy of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle are more like licenses that can be revoked at any time the owner of said license sees fit.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 87 /100 Critics Rec: 94%
- Released
- December 9, 2024
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Mild Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- MachineGames
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda
- Engine
- id Tech 7
- Franchise
- Indiana Jones
- Number of Players
- 1
WHERE TO PLAY
Uncover one of history’s greatest mysteries in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, a first-person, single-player adventure set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade. The year is 1937, sinister forces are scouring the globe for the secret to an ancient power connected to the Great Circle, and only one person can stop them - Indiana Jones™. You’ll become the legendary archaeologist in this cinematic action-adventure game from MachineGames, the award-winning studio behind the recent Wolfenstein series, and executive produced by Hall of Fame game designer Todd Howard.
YOU ARE INDIANA JONES
Live the adventure as Indy in a thrilling story full of exploration, immersive action, and intriguing puzzles. As the brilliant archaeologist – famed for his keen intellect, cunning resourcefulness, and trademark humor – you will travel the world in a race against enemy forces to discover the secrets to one of the greatest mysteries of all time.
A WORLD OF MYSTERY AWAITS
Travel from the halls of Marshall College to the heart of the Vatican, the pyramids of Egypt, the sunken temples of Sukhothai, and beyond. When a break-in in the dead of night ends in a confrontation with a mysterious colossal man, you must set out to discover the world-shattering secret behind the theft of a seemingly unimportant artifact. Forging new alliances and facing familiar enemies, you’ll engage with intriguing characters, use guile and wits to solve ancient riddles, and survive intense set-pieces.
WHIP-CRACKING ACTION
Indiana’s trademark whip remains at the heart of his gear and can be used to distract, disarm, and attack enemies. But the whip isn’t just a weapon, it’s Indy’s most valuable tool for navigating the environment. Swing over unsuspecting patrols and scale walls as you make your way through a striking world. Combine stealth infiltration, melee combat, and gunplay to combat the enemy threat and unravel the mystery.
THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY
Venture through a dynamic mix of linear, narrative-driven gameplay and open-area maps. Indulge your inner explorer and unearth a world of fascinating secrets, deadly traps,and fiendish puzzles, where anything could potentially hide the next piece of the mystery – or snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
