Digital gaming is the future. No need to wade through your living room just to find that game you've been itching to play for weeks. Nope. With digital gaming you can just turn on your system and scroll through your digital library for the game you desire to play. There's no downside to digital gaming... except for one, and, admittedly, it's a big one.

You don't own digital games the same way you own physical games. If Nintendo, in the utmost of unlikely scenarios, were ordered to stop selling Super Mario games, there's nothing Nintendo can do to pry Super Mario Galaxy from your warm meaty hands. The digital version of that game, however, would be delisted faster than you can say "Bing. Bing. Wahoo!" That's the big problem with digital gaming. You only own the game for as long as the publishers says you do.

Look at what happened to Marvel vs Capcom 3. Capcom had to take down the third installment of its popular crossover game from Steam, Xbox Live, and PlayStation Network when Disney called their marriage off. Thankfully, Capcom and Disney resolved their relationship and restored MvC3 to modern consoles, along with making a fourth entry in the series. But not every licensed video game story has a happy ending. Some are removed for good; leaving no place for consumers to legally buy and play them again.

In this list we're showcasing 15 video games you can no longer buy for one reason or another. While not every game here was removed over digital disputes, most were yanked off digital channels with no where else to go.

15 A Really Great Game Lost To Licensing Issues

via www.ubisoft.com

Outside of the comic book fandom, Scott Pilgrim never got the love it truly deserved from the public. The Edgar Wright movie, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, underperformed at the box office when it was released in 2010. Which is a shame, not just because it was a hilarious and critically acclaimed movie, but because it inspired one of the best 2D beat 'em ups ever released on consoles.

Developed by Ubisoft Montreal, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game was an endearing pixellated brawler that captured the spirit of the comics beautifully, while simultaneously being a terrific love letter to video games. Anamanaguchi composing the game's retro soundtrack was just icing on the cake. All this just makes it so painful that Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game isn't available on any digital store anymore, as Ubisoft no longer has the rights to the movie and its characters. Scott has no luck in love and video games, it seems.

14 This Was Only Half-Shelled At Best

via via www.ubisoft.com

Under the hand of Konami, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles appeared in some of the best (and worst) games in the late 80s. There's plenty of TMNT games to love from that era, but what's generally considered the turtles' finest moment was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time. The time-traveling beat 'em up had Leo, Raphael, Donatello, and party dude Michelangelo hopping from one time period to the next, in order to save the Statue of Liberty from their arch nemesis Shredder. Yes, that's the actual plot of the game.

Konami losing the TMNT license meant gems like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time would actually be lost in time, however, Ubisoft did try to mend that problem when it became the turtles' new publisher in 2007.  Released in 2009, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled was conceived as an enhanced version of the Konami game everyone knew and loved... except Re-Shelled felt like an half-shelled effort, with presentation, gameplay, and sound being water down from the original. Unfortunately for TMNT fans, they can't even play the mediocre version of Turtles in Time anymore, as Ubisoft no longer holds the license. Totally bogus.

13 These Grand Adventures Just Weren't Meant To Last

via www.telltale.com

Before Telltale Games became known for great storytelling hits like The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, and Tales from the Borderlands, they worked on adventure games like Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventure. Based on the bloody brilliant clay animation shorts by Nick Park, Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures took the quirky duo on an episodic journey they had them fighting bees and playing a nice round of golf. It didn't feature any of the decision-making that could bite you in the butt that Telltale is now known for, but it did have dancing bees.

Four episodes were made for the series and, unfortunately, those episode are no longer available for purchase. Telltale no longer has the rights to Wallace & Gromit and it's doubtful they'll ever reclaim those rights, as the classic-style adventure game no longer fits the developer's story-driven philosophy. 

12 This Game Wasn't Even Good, Anyways

via xbox.com

So far, the games mentioned in this list were erased from history because the publisher no longer owned the rights to the franchise. Generally speaking, they've also been good games. Too Human doesn't have any of that.

From the studio behind Eternal Darkness , Too Human was the much-hyped Xbox 360 exclusive by Silicon Knights and controversial game designer Denis Dyack. Too Human was seen as Microsoft's answer to Sony's God of War, but didn't receive equal praise when it was released in 2008. Despite the cool idea of merging Norse mythology with science fiction, Too Human was panned for poor combat, controls, and a death sequence that overstays its welcome.

Speaking of death, the game is no longer available because a court ordered every copy of Too Human to be destroyed. Nope, that's not a joke. Silicon Knights lost its lawsuit against Epic Games and became convicted in 2012 for infringing Epic's copyrights in the Unreal Engine 3 code. Don't mess with Epic Games.

11 A Strange (Sort-Of) Spinoff

via nintendo.com

Next Level Games doesn't get enough love. Sure, their controversial take on MetroidMetroid Prime: Federation Force, flopped on the 3DS. However, their past rendition on classic Nintendo series were splendid. One amazing Nintendo revival by Next Level Games was Punch-Out!! for the Wii, which captured all the great cartoony action of the NES game and integrated it well with the system's motion controls.

You know who else doesn't get enough love? Doc Louis, the trainer behind the feisty Little Mac. Which is why it was so great to see Doc Louis get some spotlight in Doc Louis's Punch-Out!!, which had you fighting your coach to prove to him you were ready for the big leagues. The game was briefly available on the Nintendo eShop as a way of promoting the console version, then disappeared from the digital store.

10 James Bond Would Never Have To Deal With This

via www.sierra.com

On the subject of legality, the Cold War spy game The Operative: No One Lives Forever has a snowball's chance in hell of ever being re-released for modern gamers. Developed by Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor developer Monolith, The Operative: No One Lives Forever was an acclaimed first-person shooter that mixed stealth elements with 1960s aesthetics. It was praised not just for its entertaining gameplay, but also for its female protagonist named Cate Archer.

What's stopping The Operative and its sequels from ever seeing the light of day again is the legal mumbo jumbo over who owns the rights to the games. The three publishers involved with the game are Warner Bros., Activision, and 20th Century Fox. When Night Dive tried to acquire the rights to The Operative so they can re-release the game, like they've done with System Shock 2 and the Wizardry series, they faced confusion over who owned what among the publishers and dismissal by Monolith's new owners WB.  

9 Sometimes Things Are Best Left In The Past

via activision.com

The 1999 release of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater successfully introduced gamers to the wonders of pro skating, not to mention the greatness of Goldfinger's "Superman." Its true to life details, thrilling combo system, and memorable soundtrack made skating through warehouses fun. Its high-definition remake, Tony Hawk HD, was anything but a glorious nostalgia trip when released in 2012.

Tony Hawk HD was a flawed product. It ruined the physics of the original game, along with lacking significant content from previous releases. The game was removed from all digital marketplaces this year, with no reason given as to why. One would assume it either music rights or Activision's deteriorating partnership with Tony Hawk. Tony Hawk 5 was a blundering mess and apparently Hawk is making a new skateboarding game with another publisher.

8 We Truly Regret Losing This One

via www.remedygames.com

Here's a delisted game that happened not too long ago. The psychological action-adventure game Alan Wake was just pulled from Xbox Live and Steam this year. Why? What did the game in was its use of licensed music. The Black Angels' "Young Men Dead" and "Up Jumped The Devil" from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are some of the songs used in Alan Wake and with developer Remedy no longer owning the rights to use those songs, they had no choice but to pull their breakout game.

Remedy made a valiant effort to make sure anyone on the fence on buying Alan Wake didn't miss their opportunity. The game received big discounts during its final days on Xbox Live and Steam. However, that doesn't do any new gamer any good, when they can't simply buy the game now for their Xbox One. The case of Alan Wake should be a cautionary tale for developers that want to use licensed music to spice up their games.

7 They've Fought Their Final Battle

via capcom.com

As mentioned in the beginning of the article, not all licensed games are lucky to come back from the dead. Marvel vs Capcom being restored to the market was a miracle; the same can't be said for Tatsunoko vs. Capcom. The 2008 Wii exclusive took the best of Capcom's crop and bashed them together with famed Tatsunoko characters like Casshan, Jun the Swan, and Tekkaman. Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars was hailed as another top-not crossover fighting game by Capcom, but sadly, high praise didn't secure the game's longevity on store shelves.

In 2012, Capcom former Senior VP, Christian Svensson, told the Capcom community that the publisher had lost the rights to use any of the Tatsunoko characters in their games, meaning copies of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars would no longer be produced.

6 At Least They Gave It To Us For Free In The First Place

via nintendo.com

When one thinks of The Legend of Zelda, multiplayer doesn't exactly jump to mind. After all, the critically acclaimed franchise made its mark by offering players a personal single-player journey of defeating unspeakable evil and attacking random chickens. Nintendo, on the other hand, has experimented with multiplayer Zelda before, with The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords on the Game Boy Advance.

In 2011, Nintendo released an updated version of Four Swords as a way of celebrating the series 25th anniversary. The remaster was called The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition and it was available to download for free for the Nintendo DS and 3DS. It contained the same four co-op gameplay of the Game Boy Advance game, while enhancing the game's presentation and offering a single player campaign mode. The digital game was a great way for Nintendo to commemorate the 25th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda. Unfortunately, when the anniversary was over, the Four Swords remaster got taken down from the DSi Shop and Nintendo eShop.

At least Nintendo didn't quit making multiplayer Zelda games, as The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes came out on the 3DS in 2015.

5 This Was Even Built Into Your System

via nintendo.com

It's safe to say there's a good chunk of people out there that own a Nintendo 3DS. What new 3DS owners might not know, however, that early in the system's lifespan was an app called SwapNote that allowed users to send handwritten and drawn messages to each other. The app also had a cute Mii mascot named Nikki, who instructed players on how to use the service and kept them up-to-date on SwapNote's latest features. She was quite popular; inspiring plenty of fan art worldwide (most notably in Japan).

SwapNote was a neat little app that made fantastic use of the 3DS' abilities, so why did Nintendo close the system down in 2013? According to Nintendo, SwapNote was being used to send offensive material to its young userbase. Nintendo had no choice but to take the 3DS app down, but, in 2016, a spiritual successor named Swapdoodle was released. So far, there haven't been any stories about Swapdoodle being abused like SwapNote.

4 This Wouldn't Have Happened In A Real Arcade

via konami.com

Ay, caramba! Who knew the citizens of Springfield could be so violent! The Simpsons Arcade Game was another addicting beat 'em up from the beat 'em kings at Konami. The game let you play as any of the yellow-colored family members like Homer and Bart, as you moved from one famous scenery to the next, as you searched for baby Maggie. It's amazing how well The Simpsons fit as a beat 'em up game, but, then again, the show's most memorable gag is Homer strangling Bart by the neck.

There was much rejoicing when Konami re-released The Simpsons Arcade Game for PSN and Xbox Live in 2012, however, the celebration didn't last long. Konami pulled the game in 2013, citing they only had temporarily ownership of The Simpsons franchise. A true shame the arcade game can't live forever like the animated series its based on. 

3 Say Goodbye To Your Speed Racing Fantasies

via sega.com

If there's one thing Sega is known for, outside of Sonic the Hedgehog, it would be their excellent arcade games. In 2009, Sega created another installment in their arcade racing series, OutRun, and made it available digitally on Xbox 360 and PS3. Developed by Sumo Digital (Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed), OutRun Online Arcade continued the series' exhilarating races, while offering competitive multiplayer modes online.

Outrun Online Arcade wasn't just a fun game to play, it was pretty to look at too. The Ferrari supercars were visually appealing and handled like a beauty. Alas, once Sega's Ferrari license dried up, the arcade racing game got pulled off digital shelves. Now, future generations will never like out their speed demon fantasy on the virtual streets. Oh well, there's still Sonic Mania.

2 This Bombed Just Like The Show

via xbox.com

What might be the most interesting experiment on the Xbox 360 was Microsoft's interactive digital game show called 1 vs. 100. Based on the trivia game show on NBC, the massive multiplayer online game picked one user and had him answer questions in usual game show fashion. How 1 vs. 100 stood out was audience participation, as they could win prizes for winning with or against the selected player.

1 vs 100 lasted for two seasons. In 2010, Microsoft announced there would be no third season of the game show. Reports stated the digital game wasn't making enough money though ads to cover its costly production. A tragedy, as 1 vs 100 was a unique experience that helped justify Microsoft's Xbox Live subscription and offered something not found on the PSN. Back to yelling at dumb contestants on the Price is Right.

1 The Horror Game That Never Was

via konami.com

Perhaps the most devastating loss for PS4 owners was the questionable removal of P.T. by Konami. P.T., the "playable trailer" that was actually a teaser for a new Silent Hill game by Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid) and Guillermo Del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth), terrified gamers everywhere when it was available in 2014. The first-person demo fueled its horrific atmosphere by making players feel helpless as they entered the game's one and only hallway over and over. All the little hints of creepiness scattered throughout the hallway would increase over time, resulting in unforgettable and unprepared scares like the gruesome fetus baby found in the bathroom sink.

Players lucky enough to escape the never-ending hallway were rewarded with a cutscene revealing the character they were playing was none other than Norman Reedus from The Walking Dead. Reedus was going to star in the next Silent Hill game by Konami, but the publisher's lack of interest in AAA games and the highly publicized fallout between it and Kojima sent the promising P.T. back to the shadows. Thankfully, Kojima is collaborating with Reedus and Del Toro again for his upcoming PS4 game, Death Stranding.