Xbox gamers warned they've until 6 December before 12 classic games are removed forever

Game preservation is a major concern in this digital age.

More and more people are choosing to buy digital editions of games as opposed to physical ones, but what you may not know is that when you purchase a digital game, you’re only buying a license.

That license call be pulled at any time, unlike when you own a physical copy. Then it’s yours to keep forever.

That means that when games are delisted, digital users often end up losing access - so you can see why concerns over preservation are rife.

We’re seeing more and more games delisted as studios attempt to cut costs, and SEGA is the latest developer to do just that.

It’s been announced that a whopping 12 games will soon be delisted from the Xbox Store.

Xbox users can dive into Indiana Jones and the Great Circle next month, alongside PC users - with a PlayStation launch due in the spring.

The titles concerned are: Altered Beast, Crazy Taxi, SEGA Genesis ClassicsT, Golden Axe, Monster World, NiGHTS into Dreams, SEGA Bass Fishing, Shinobi, Sonic The Fighters, Streets of Rage, SVC: ToeJam & Earl, and Virtura Fighter 2.

The titles will remain available until 6 December 11.59pm PST.

The good news is that in this case, even if you own the digital versions, you will still be able to continue playing after the delisting.

Naturally, that could change in the future but it’s not a concern for now.

That means you simply need to buy any of the aforementioned games before the end-of-play on 6 December if you want to keep playing them.

SEGA is further delisting various games across Steam, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation too - although the line-up varies from platform to platform.

The full list has been confirmed by the company’s support team.

It’s a shame to lose access to some classic gems, but at least we have fair warning.