Indie developer makes his game free after Warner unceremoniously tells him they're 'retiring' it from Steam and the PlayStation Store

Small Radios Big Televisions creator Owen Deery says Warner Bros Discovery has informed him it's «retiring» the game from Steam and the PlayStation Store, so he's making it available for free on his studio's website.

Originally released in 2016, Small Televisions Big Radios is an indie puzzle game that has players searching abandoned factories in search of lost cassette tapes containing «boundless virtual worlds.» Published by Adult Swim Games, it wasn't a big hit but was reasonably well-received critically, particularly for its visual style and soundtrack.

In a bit of good news—bad news, you can now get the game for free: Good, because hey, free game, but bad because it's being removed from sale at the behest of Adult Swim parent company Warner Bros Discovery.

«WarnerBros Discovery have informed me they will be 'retiring' my game Small Radios Big Televisions from both Steam and PS4 stores,» Deery tweeted. «I've made it free to download here:https://fire-face.com/games/srbt.html Thanks for all your support.»

WarnerBros Discovery have informed me they will be 'retiring' my game Small Radios Big Televisions from both Steam and PS4 stores.I've made it free to download here: https://t.co/Fn82RfKBcfThanks for all your support. pic.twitter.com/DCWsVtFYlRMarch 5, 2024

For now, Small Radios Big Televisions remains available for purchase on both Steam and the PlayStation Store. Speaking to PC Gamer, Deery said Warner gave him a 60-day timeline for the removal of the game from both storefronts. As for why they're being taken down, he was told it was «due to internal business changes» at the company.

«My understanding is that at the very least they still need to pay someone to administer the royalty payments to developers (me), respond to any administration requests from the platforms, update promo assets if the platform requires,» Deery said. «AFAIK no one who actually helped publish these Adult Swim games works there anymore, so I figure they thought it just wasn't worth