Nintendo removes 250 DSiWare games from 3DS eShop [UPDATE]

After mysteriously delisting plenty of DSIWare titles on the eShop this week, the majority have now returned.

According to Delisted Games, all but five DSIWare games have returned to the storefront.

It's possible the five remaining titles will be added once more, and if they are, we will be sure to update this post.

Original Story follows:

And it gave no warning that this was coming.

It looks like Nintendo is pulling a number of its DSiWare games from the 3DS eShop.

As first spotted by Twitter user @comeoutpunching, DSiWare titles released before mid-May 2011 have been removed from its digital storefront as of January 1, 2021. No warning came from the platform holder.

Delisted Games reports that more than 250 DSiWare titles have been taken down from the previous total of 448 that were previously viewable in the eShop category. Trying to access these games gives players the message: "This software is currently unavailable," per Nintendo Life.

Well, at least this is the case in the United States. Apparently, these games are still available in Europe, as well as Japan. That's not to say that these regions won't be hit with similar takedowns in the near future, so if there's any DSiWare that has a special place in your heart, you might want to download it now just in case.

It's entirely possible that all of this is some technical snafu – given that Nintendo hasn't said anything about DSiWare games being pulled – but we'll wait and see.

DSiWare debuted for the... well, Nintendo DSi console in November 2008 and was available via a specific DSi Shop. When the 3DS launched in June 2011, all of this content was added to the eShop. Some of the most iconic titles to come to the service were Shantae: Risky's Revenge, Cave Story and Picopict.