Nintendo Reitterates It Won’t Replace Lost Or Stolen Digital 3DS Games

A Nintendo 3DS user recently contacted Nintendo of America’s customer service, and asked about whether digital Nintendo 3DS games could be recovered, if the handheld console was stolen or misplaced. A customer service representative for the company replied by reiterating that all digital content on the Nintendo 3DS is tied to the system itself, and, therefore, lost or stolen digital games and applications purchased from the Nintendo eShop cannot be retrieved.

… I was wondering, should I lose or have my 3DS stolen, is there any way to retrieve the games that I’ve purchased on the eshop? I am curious about your policy on this, and especially when so many young kids play 3DS and could potentially lose them. I know on the iphone and PSP, you are tied to an account to which you can retrieve your games. How does it work for Nintendo? Should I be worried about buying my little nephew eshop points?

Nintendo of America customer service representative: Thank you for writing. I’ll be happy to answer your questions regarding virtual content on the Nintendo 3DS. All virtual content downloaded on the Nintendo 3DS is tied to the system itself. As our warranty doesn’t cover lost or stolen game cards and systems, if this were to happen regardless of your games being virtual or you owning the physical copies, they would not be covered for replacement. …