Carbine Studios’ WildStar has quietly removed copies from Australian game retailers’ shelves. Retail outlets EB Games and JB Hi-Fi both reportedly returned copies to WildStar’s distributor.

Speaking to Australian gaming site GameOn.net, an EB Games employee said that the MMORPG was pulled “a few weeks ago.” A similar occurrence took place with The Elder Scrolls Online back in January - Australian retailers sent stock back just before The Elder Scrolls Online’s subscription-free platform was announced.

For WildStar fans in Australia, it’s still ready for sale through the official WildStar Storefront. WildStar is going for USD $39.99 there.

With the removal from gaming stores WildStar could be doing what The Elder Scrolls Online did. It could transition into a free-to-play model at some point. Speculation says it could be re-release on this platform.

Since WildStar’s launch, the game has struggled with some issues. Players faced bugs and problems with PvP balance, and planned monthly content updates ended up taking longer to finish. As a result, server populations have declined. So if WildStar‘s publisher NC Soft does decide to go free-to-play, it might bring the audience back a bit.

Heather Williams reviewed WildStar for Continue Play, awarding it a score of 9/10. “WildStar is worth the time of anyone with even the slightest interest in the genre.” She said in her review. “With plenty of new ideas, a great sense of humor, and a wealth of content out of the gate, Carbine Studios suddenly has suddenly gone from an unproven – if experienced – collective of developers to a team that can be mentioned proudly alongside the likes of Blizzard and Bethesda when it comes to discussing the MMO heavyweights.”