Cartoon turtles fans were ecstatic in 2022 when the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection was revealed. However, now, The Cowabunga Collection is being delisted in Japan.
The news hit social media via a popular poster, Wario64:
Players who visit the game’s Steam page will notice it will be discontinued in Japan on March 29. Luckily, online play will remain enabled after that date. In addition, any gamers who purchase the title before March 29 can redownload it from the Steam Store at any point.
Thankfully, for all of those worried gamers out there, there is confirmation that the delisting won’t happen anywhere else. The good people over at Game Informer reached out to Konami, who told them they have no plans of removing The Cowabunga Collection from any store outside of Japan.
Related: The First Look at Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shows Off a Stunning Art Style
Sadly, delisting video games from digital storefronts is nothing new, even more so if they are from a licensed property. Having a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game get removed in less than two years isn’t shocking, unfortunately. I fear for what will happen to Shredder’s Revenge, as well. This goes to show how important physical media is in the age of digital distribution, and fans have made that clear in the replies to Wario’s post, being relieved that they own an actual copy of the game.
I am grateful I own both Shredder’s Revenge and The Cowabunga Collection in physical form. Sadly, I feel sorry for later generations who might have to track them down through the used game market or via emulation and pay a pretty penny in the process.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection is available on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
