A dozen classic Japanese arcade shoot ’em ups are set to be removed from Steam at the end of the month
12 games developed by Psikyo will be delisted due to an expired license
A dozen classic Japanese arcade shoot ’em ups are set to be delisted permanently from Steam at the end of the month.
Japanese publisher City Connection posted a message on its website informing players that 12 of its retro re-releases will be removed from Steam on October 31, due to their licensing agreements expiring.
The 12 games, which were all developed in the ’90s and early 2000s by specialist shoot ’em up developer Psikyo, are as follows:
- Strikers 1945
- Strikers 1945 II
- Strikers 1945 III
- Gunbird
- Gunbird 2
- Gunbarich
- Samurai Aces
- Samurai Aces Episode II: Tengai
- Samurai Aces Episode III: Sengoku Cannon
- Sol Divide
- Dragon Blaze
- Zero Gunner 2
According to City Connection, all 12 games will no longer be available to buy after October 31, but players who have bought them before this date will still have them in their library and will still be able to play them.
The publisher also says this license expiration doesn’t affect the console versions of the games, which will still remain available for purchase – this is presumably because they were ported to console a couple of years later, meaning their licensing agreements may have started later.
【Notice】End of Sales for Psikyo Titles on Steam
Thank you very much for your continued support of our products.
Sales of Psikyo Steam titles will end on October 31, 2025, due to the expiration of the license agreement.
For more details, please visit the following page:… pic.twitter.com/Kz57XB4Ekk— CITY CONNECTION (@claricedisc) October 15, 2025
“Regarding future developments for the Steam versions, we will make further announcements if and when there is any information to share,” City Connection wrote.
“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all players who have enjoyed the Steam versions to date. We appreciate your continued support for these titles and other works from Psikyo.”
Psikyo was founded in Kyoto in 1992 and went on to develop numerous games – mostly arcade shoot ’em ups – for the next decade.
The developer’s catalogue was owned by a company called Zerodiv – founded by Psikyo programmer Keiyuki Haragami – which was acquired by City Connection in 2019.
Earlier this year, however, City Connection sold Zerodiv to media group Edia in a deal valuing it at ¥1 million ($6,600).
