Linked the story for anyone who wants context. It’s about a list compiled by Twitter user https://x.com/Crusader3456
Here’s a direct link to a list of the games in a Google Sheets spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dJl8_JsJ5O2HyaP_oT4AoqrO1QEs9Own/edit?gid=1739673700#gid=1739673700
I mean, a lot of the games on that spreadsheet (I would even guess more than 50%) contain licensed material, music, or other intellectual property that is not owned by Microsoft, ActiBlizz, or any of the subsidiary studios.
If someone was going to actually make a really list, those games should not be on the list that anyone would reasonably expect to come back, probably ever. It would require renegotiation of the licensed content with the license holder, if they are still easy to find, who would absolutely demand more money than originally agreed upon at the original game’s release (thereby making the effort immensely expensive), or it would require developers to alter the artistic vision and integrity of some of those games that they can, while others like “Bee Movie: The Game” would require so much reworking it would be better to make it an original game instead.
I mean, imagine if Square Enix decided to remaster Omikron: The Nomad Soul. They would have to either renegotiate the soundtrack license with David Bowie’s estate and the record label company that publisher the album, or they would have to destroy the legacy of the game by replacing the music with some other artist that would be guaranteed to be genuinely worse than David Bowie. Honestly, I am surprised but also overjoyed that Square Enix is still selling the game on Steam.