Storefront shutdown

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Digital storefront shutdowns, or the practice of discontinuing online storefronts for consoles and other devices, has become increasingly common. This often results in the removal of games exclusive to these platforms, such as Pokémon Picross for the Nintendo 3DS, Battlezone for the Xbox 360, and the PlayStation Portable (PSP) remasters of classic Final Fantasy titles. These shutdowns leave many games inaccessible to new users, raising concerns over digital preservation and the long-term availability of digital-only content.

Digital storefront shutdowns

Wii Shop Channel (2006-2019)

The Wii Shop Channel, launched in 2006, allowed Nintendo Wii users to purchase and download a variety of content, including Virtual Console games, WiiWare titles, and other downloadable content. Users could load their accounts with Wii Points, a virtual currency, to make purchases. This system offered access to a diverse library of classic games and indie releases, however the service was officially shut down in 2019, and with it, many of the games and content became inaccessible.

Wii U/3DS eShops (201X-2023)

[Placeholder] (should mention last way to purchase retro Nintendo platform games)

PlayStation Portable Storefront (200X-2016)

[Placeholder] Shut down despite fan backlash, understandably though due to aging Internet accessibility (tldr: Sony never upgraded the browser to handle the decline of optimization of the Internet) of the console, thus restricting access to storefront regardless. (Editor's note: making a PSP connect to the Internet requires either using mobile hotspot or downgrading a router to 3g or lower, otherwise it cannot handle modern internet protocols)

Xbox 360 Storefront (200X-2024)

[Placeholder] (may help to mention how the indies were delisted a year prior)

Stadia (201X-202X)

[Placeholder]

Attempted storefront shutdowns

PlayStation 3 Storefront

[Placeholder] Sony attempted to shut it down, massive user backlash has made the storefront remain open, for now.

Psvita Storefront

[Placeholder] Additionally attempted to shut down at same time as PS3/PSP storefronts, failed due to same backlash.