PICO PARK: Classic Edition Distribution to Halt on June 15
The delisting of a free game that accumulated 10 million downloads shows how Steam's pricing policy can force developers to choose between giving away a title permanently or pulling it from the store entirely.
Reporting from 3 sources: 4Gamer.net, Denfaminicogamer, Automaton.
Developer TECOPARK announced on June 4 that distribution of the cooperative puzzle action game PICO PARK: Classic Edition will end at 12:00 JST on June 15. The game, originally released on Steam in 2016 as PICO PARK, was later renamed and made free after a 2021 update. In September 2025, it received its first update in nine years, adding online co-op and refreshed visuals. TECOPARK had intended to make the game paid again after that update, but discovered that Steam's policy prevents a game from reverting to paid status once it has been made free. The game was therefore kept as a permanently free title. On June 1, the developer announced that distribution would end soon, citing the need to focus on future series development. The specific halt date was revealed on June 4 via the official X account, which also noted that approximately 10 million people have downloaded the game. Players who add the game to their Steam library before the cutoff can continue to play it indefinitely.
TECOPARK set the halt time as June 14 at 19:00 PST, which converts to June 15 at 12:00 JST, though the developer noted a one-hour discrepancy depending on whether the conversion uses Pacific Daylight Time or Pacific Standard Time as stated in the announcement. The game, originally released on Steam in April 2016, was renamed and made free in 2021 after a Nintendo Switch version with online support and additional content launched in 2019. The September 2025 update added online co-op and refreshed visuals, and the developer had planned to charge for the game afterward. TECOPARK discovered that Steam policy prevents a title from returning to paid status once it has been made free, a rule the developer acknowledged in an October 2025 post on X: "I tried to update and make it paid again, but I forgot that once you go from paid to free, you can never go back to paid!" The cooperative action puzzle game requires players to divide roles, such as using other players as footholds to create stairs, and supports up to 10 players. The developer apologized for the sudden timing and thanked the 10 million downloaders. The game can still be played after distribution ends if added to a Steam library before the cutoff.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 3 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.