NIS America has announced that six RPGs from its vast collection of games will be delisted from PlayStation’s online store, as well as Nintendo’s eShop over the course of the next five months. Some RPG fans will have no connection to these NIS America titles, while others will see some of their favorite games be lost forever if they don’t already own a physical copy.
It’s been a rough few years for players who mainly purchase their games digitally. After Nintendo shut down the Wii U and 3DS eShops, there were many players who woke up to the idea that games may not live forever in the big digital cloud in the sky. The Wii U, for example, was the only system to play games like Xenoblade Chronicles X, Star Fox Zero, and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess HD remakes. If these games are never ported to the Switch, those without physical versions of these titles may never play them again. And now, there are six more games that will see the same fate.
NIS America, famous for games such as the Disgaea and Trails series, has put out a tweet informing fans of the departure of six RPGs from Nintendo’s eShop, and PlayStation Network, including PS4 and PS Vita. Most people at this point are used to games leaving Xbox Game Pass, but this is a different situation, as these RPGs will no longer be able to be purchased altogether. These games include both Demon Gaze and Demon Gaze 2, God Wars: The Complete Legend and God Wars: Future Past, The Lost Child, and Natural Doctrine. Each game has a little time left on its respective shop, with some titles be delisted later this month and others as late as November. This gives players the chance to play through at least one or two of the games that are leaving.
Probably the most well-known titles in the bunch are the two Demon Gaze games, a couple of dungeon crawlers that have amassed a small but loyal following. Both games have a Metacritic score of around 70, just like the two God Wars games, a couple of tactical RPG titles that explore Japan’s untold folklore. The last two titles, The Lost Child and Natural Doctrine have Metacritic scores around the low 50s and 60s. No matter how average or bad some of these scores are, each one of these games has a fanbase, and this news may affect them.
The reason is unknown why NIS America decided to unlist these games but it’s becoming clear how important physical copies are to those who want to keep one of their favorite titles forever. Even more so for companies known for shutting down popular games like Nintendo often does.
