Back in September, Nintendo officially canceled the development and sale of the Nintendo 3DS. This was no major surprise to anyone, considering that the Nintendo Switch has taken over as the company’s number one overall console in the home and portable market. However, what is surprising is that Nintendo seems to be doing something that fans weren’t expecting, removing the online titles from the DSiWare library. As reported by Twitter user, and subsequently by Nintendo Life, it appears that the company has removed several DSiWare downloadable games from the 3DS eShop, completely without any warning.
As you can see in the tweet above, the DSiWare title Shantae: Risky’s Revenge is no longer available, making it impossible to purchase on the platform. The other titles that were de-listed include Asphalt 4: Elite Racing, Mr. Driller: Drill Till You Drop, and Dr. Mario Express. While Shantae: Risky’s Revenge has been re-released for both the Nintendo Switch and the PlayStation 4, the same can’t be said for the other aforementioned games unless Nintendo plans on bringing all of them to the Switch at some point as well.
For those who don’t know, DSiWare titles were first introduced in 2008 when they launched the Nintendo DSi due to the fact that it could connect to the internet without any additional add-ons. The DSiWare section in the eShop was essentially a space for unknown indie titles, some of which went onto becoming staples of the DS and 3DS platforms. Eventually, the DSiWare library grew to over 360 games, making the DSiWare a significant part of the eShop experience.
In 2017, just before the Switch launched, Nintendo discontinued the DSiWare line, but still made all titles available to buy and download. While it isn’t terribly surprising to see Nintendo remove specific titles from the library, the real shock here is that they did so without any type of notice to the fans. When Nintendo shut down the Wii U and 3DS eShop in other countries, they made an official announcement well beforehand, ensuring that those who wished to utilize it were able to before it was gone. This was not the case here, and as of this writing, Nintendo has yet to make any official comment on the de-listings. For those who own, or want to own certain DSiWare titles, you may want to claim them before they are more than likely taken down for good.