Delisted Nintendo eShop Games Have Now Returned

Earlier in the week, a number of DSiware titles were removed from the Nintendo eShop, including games such as Shantae: Risky's Revenge and Mighty Flip Champs. It seems, however, that the majority of the missing games have now returned to the digital storefront. According to Delisted Games, more than 250 games were removed in total, and now just five of those have yet to return: 5 in 1 Solitaire, Digger Dan & Kaboom, Face Pilot: Fly With Your Nintendo DSi Camera!, Match Up!, and Word Searcher 3. The games that returned were added back in batches, so it's possible that these last missing titles could eventually return, as well.

The news should be a relief for fans of DSi software, as well as those interested in video game preservation. While digital marketplaces such as the eShop have provided developers and publishers a cheaper alternative to physical releases, it can also mean that the game can be lost to time once it's removed from the platform; a number of gamers prefer physical video game releases for this very reason. Prior to Shantae: Risky's Revenge's return to the eShop, Limited Run Games shared news of the game's removal on Twitter, highlighting the fact that the publisher has made the game available on Switch and PS4, in the past.

For the longest time, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game stood as a cautionary tale regarding video game preservation. The game was removed from digital storefronts back in 2014, and many fans worried that it would end up lost to time, as a result. Fortunately, the game is coming back to current-gen consoles on January 14th, and a physical release is on the way from Limited Run Games.

It seems unlikely that publishers like Limited Run Games will offer similar physical versions of any of the DSiware games that are now back, so fans that want to purchase these titles will have to do so digitally. With the 3DS line no longer in production, Nintendo's focus remains solely on the Switch platform, and it's likely that these games could end up delisted again in the future. Fortunately, fans now have a second chance to check these games out before that happens.

Do you still play games on the 3DS or DSi? Are you happy that these games were added back to the eShop? Let us know in the comments or share directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!