Some odd news from GOG today: EA has requested that certain games — both Ultima Underworld titles, as well as Syndicate and Syndicate Wars — be de-listed from GOG’s catalogue effective June 28th.

If you’ve already purchased these games, they’ll remain in your GOG library; de-listing only means that they will cease to be available for purchase. However, there is no small amount of confusion over why these titles (and, apparently, only these titles) have been marked for removal from the GOG storefront.

Some have speculated that this might be the result of contracts and agreements between EA and GOG coming to an end (it was roughly a decade ago that the Underworld games were first listed on GOG, after all). However, one would think that other EA titles (including the other Ultima games) would similarly be in danger of de-listing, were this the case. Others have speculated that this might be indicative of some impending news about either the Syndicate or Underworld properties, if not both; perhaps we will see new games developed in both series in the none-too-distant future?

At this point, though, all there is to go on is speculation; neither EA nor GOG have been forthcoming with details about the specific reason that these games will be removed from the GOG catalogue in just a few days’ time. If you haven’t already purchased any of them, this would be the time to do so; if more news emerges as to the reasoning behind their removal from GOG emerges, it will be posted on the Codex as it becomes available.