Players who utilize Steam may have woken up to an unexpected surprise as many titles under the Rockstar Games catalog were suddenly removed without warning. While the removal of titles have been made due to the influence of developers in the past, such was the case with Overfall's developers who detected fraudulent sales in the past, the removal of these particular titles was anything but intentional.
Several titles among the Rockstar Games' catalog were reported missing from the Steam store, leaving fans scratching their heads as many wondered the reasoning behind it. What was more confusing for fans was the aftermath of this event, as several titles that were long since delisted made their way to the Steam store for the first time in years.
With the sudden removal of such Rockstar Games' staples, including Grand Theft Auto 5, the Red Dead Redemption series, and other classic titles including the Manhunt series, an unexpected title that had long since delisted returned to the Steam store. Due to a faulty "retired at publisher's request" error that initiated the bug, the entire Rockstar Games catalog returned to the Steam marketplace, including Midnight Club 2. Video game aggregator Wario64 tweeted the game's resurfacing only to report a half-hour later that it was, once again, delisted.
Released in 2003, fans have considered Midnight Club 2 to be one of the best racing games of all time, combining arcade-style racing with an impressive soundtrack and three large-scaled open-world cities that were ahead of its time. Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition built upon what made Midnight Club 2 a praiseworthy racing game while adding licensed cars and in-depth customization. While details involving Midnight Club 2's removal remain a mystery to the public, the Midnight Club series continues to be one of the most highly requested series for Rockstar Games to revive.
Early in 2018, Midnight Club 2 was delisted from Steam for reasons that Rockstar Games' never officially stated, with many fans assuming it was due to the company being unable to pay for its massive soundtrack. The Midnight Club 2 soundtrack consisted of various hip-hop artists and underground House music, including several songs from Thomas Bangalter, one half of the retired legendary House duo, Daft Punk.
The open-world racing game franchise has since been dormant following 2008's Midnight Club: Los Angeles released on PS3 and the Xbox 360. Grand Theft Auto Online would adapt car customization features from Midnight Club, keeping the spirit of the franchise alive, to an extent. Players lucky enough to purchase the title, leading to the increase in player count on Steam for the first time since prior to its release, should serve as a message to Rockstar Games that Midnight Club continues to have a dedicated fanbase.