Just close to three weeks ago, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced to be severing support for three of its legacy platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, and PlayStation Vita. Starting in July, storefronts for the aforementioned systems would be shut down; exception for PS Vita which would not be dismantled until the following month. But, that is not to say this was not a visible decision previously.
Prior to the release of the PlayStation 5, Sony Interactive Entertainment did comment on behalf of the new PlayStation Store. In that, it was confirmed purchases for the three consoles could not be made for supported titles. In extension segued to the grimmer announcement that later took place in late March.
Not to mention the outcry from users, it was also discovered in an analysis from Video Game Chronicles that more than 2,200 titles will be absent forever after the action is performed. But, Sony Interactive Entertainment surprising backpedals on the decision by announcing support to continue forward on Monday.
Upon further reflection, however, it’s clear that we made the wrong decision here. So today I’m happy to say that we will be keeping the PlayStation Store operational for PS3 and PS Vita devices. PSP commerce functionality will retire on July 2, 2021 as planned.
When we initially came to the decision to end purchasing support for PS3 and PS Vita, it was born out of a number of factors, including commerce support challenges for older devices and the ability for us to focus more of our resources on newer devices where a majority of our gamers are playing on.
We see now that many of you are incredibly passionate about being able to continue purchasing classic games on PS3 and PS Vita for the foreseeable future, so I’m glad we were able to find a solution to continue operations.
Jim Ryan, Sony Interactive Entertainment President & CEO
However, not all is saved unfortunately. In the statement from the Sony Interactive Entertainment boss, Ryan does clarify that the decision is being retracted for just the PlayStation 3 & PlayStation Vita. But, the PlayStation Portable store is to still face its demise later at the start of July.
Most surprising is that Sony Interactive Entertainment actually pulled back on a decision. While the firm is very think-minded on its choices, it is virtually set in stone when the company makes an announcement. Similarly, Microsoft made a recall on its choice to double the price of Xbox Live earlier this year. You can read the full report by heading here.
Are you happy that the PlayStation 3 & PlayStation Vita stores are to be preserved?
Source: PlayStation Blog