Nintendo Switch Users Have 20 Days to Buy Game Before It’s Removed Forever

Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite, and Nintendo Switch OLED users have, at the moment of writing this, 20 days to buy a game before it’s removed from the Nintendo eShop. In the modern era, more and more games are being delisted. Usually, when a game is delisted its because of servers being pulled, removing all functionality, or most functionality, from the game. We also see games get pulled due to issues with expiring licenses. Whatever the cause is, it’s happening more and more. The latest game to be pulled is being pulled from the Nintendo Switch by Bandai Namco. 

Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, Bandai Namco relayed word this week that its 2018 game Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun! will no longer be able to be purchased on Nintendo Switch via the Nintendo eShop as of November 30, 2023. Physical distribution will also be halted, leaving Nintendo fans with no option to get the game beyond the second-hand and reseller markets. Why is the game shutting down? Bandai Namco’s statement doesn’t say.

“Thank you for your continuous support for Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun,” reads the statement. “Sales for Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun for Nintendo Switch will be discontinued on November 30, 2023 (Thursday). We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all our customers who have purchased or played the game, and we kindly ask for your understanding in this matter. Please also consider continuing the drumming fun with Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival for Nintendo Switch.”

Oddly enough, DLC for the game will continue to be available to purchase even after the base game is removed from the Nintendo eShop. This is odd because normally when the base game is delisted so is the DLC. 

If Bandai Namco provides any information or insight into why the game is being delisted, we will update the story accordingly. We don’t expect this to change though, and it’s safe to assume the reason simply comes down to money. In the meantime, for more Nintendo Switch coverage, and for more Nintendo coverage in general — including all of the latest news, all of the latest rumors and leaks, and all of the latest deals — click here.

For those unfamiliar with Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun!, it’s a rhythm game made by Bandai Namco Studios and DokiDoki Groove Works. Upon release, it garnered a 78 on Metacritic, and was notable because it was the first release of a Taiko no Tatsujin game in the west in over a decade after the series became exclusive to Japan.