Nintendo pulls indie hit from eShop after homebrew exploit detailed

VVVVVV, indie developer Terry Cavanagh's tough retro platformer, is no longer for sale on the Nintendo eShop. The 3DS game was recently removed after a hacker detailed an exploit that allows players to access homebrew software.

Trying to buy the digital download on the eShop leads to a dead end, despite the fact that Nintendo's website continues to list VVVVVV for purchase. Nintendo removed the game as soon as a day after the exploit was released, according to Wololo.net.

Cavanagh himself tweeted about the exploit devised for his game. "That's unexpected!" he wrote before linking to the instructions on how to install the hack. He later said in a tweet that the exploit was "not really a big deal because it's not a 'primary' exploit — as in you still need another game or something."

Wololo noted that those in the homebrew community have had a mixed response to the VVVVV hack for that exact reason. Regardless, Nintendo took note and has removed the game from sale. That's typical for the company, which has pulled games that hackers have taken advantage of in the past.

We've reached out to Nintendo for more on the game's removal, including whether the game could return to the eShop. For now, VVVVVV is still available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Steam, Android and iOS.