Nintendo has reportedly removed several DSiWare titles from the Nintendo 3DS online store, without offering any warning to fans that the games would disappear.
Twitter users first detected the deletions @comeoutpunching, which reports that “all DSiWare games released before mid-May 2011 have been disabled.” Games that can no longer be purchased include Shantae: Risky’s Revenge, Asphalt 4: Elite Racing, Aura-Aura Climber, Dr. Mario Express, Mr. Driller: Drill Till You Drop and many more.
At the time of writing, it appears that the rubble is the hardest hit in North America; Games removed from the list reports that most of the removed titles in this region are still available for purchase in Europe.
Viewing any of the affected games in the eShop presents players with a message that says “This software is not currently available.” Given that Nintendo has not yet issued a statement on the disappearing games, it is possible that this is a temporary bug that will be resolved; we will make sure to update this story with more information as we get it.
In the meantime, it probably wouldn’t hurt to download any DSiWare games from the 3DS eShop store while you still can, just in case. This digital age is scary!