Oh, how we loved Scarface: The World Is Yours on PS2.
This PS2 crime caper first launched in 2006, about a month prior to the PS3 in the United States, and it was an awesome send-off for the system in our opinion.
While it was, in many ways, a GTA clone, we really loved building up our criminal empire and simply existing within Tony Montana’s world.
A turn-based spin-off was also made for the PSP, which got worse reviews at the time but we also really liked.
And for a fleeting moment, there was belief the release could be resurrected.
Largely unknown Hong Kong publisher EC Digital uploaded a Steam page for the title, then accidentally deployed a build on the Epic Games Store.
This raised many questions about the validity of the re-release, and whether the company even had rights to the title at all.
(Remember, this kind of title is a licensing nightmare, with movie rights holders and more all involved.)
Now the company has basically come out and admitted it never had the rights to re-release the title in the first place.
In an update on Steam, it said:
“The current page was initially intended as a placeholder while we worked through ongoing licensing and technical matters. Unfortunately, the unintended release of certain builds on other platforms caused unexpected complications and concerns. Because of that, we feel it’s necessary to pause and reevaluate.”
This strikes us as a scam that got out of hand, but if EC Digital does have any kind of credibility, then perhaps it will get the license it needs to re-release the game.
We hope this sorry saga at least convinces someone to bring back the original, even if it’s purely part of Sony’s PS Plus Premium emulation scheme.
The original game was great, and while it won’t have aged particularly well, it’s definitely worth revisiting if you’re a fan of old open world games.