In a somewhat surprising turn of events, Sony is backtracking on its decision to close the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita digital stores. Despite being roundly criticized by fans and reviewers alike, Sony was set to close the PS3 and Vita digital stores in July and August, respectively.
That bombshell has now been walked back by Sony Interactive Entertainment President and CEO Jim Ryan, who admits that "it's clear that we made the wrong decision here."
PlayStation 3 and PS Vita Digital Stores Remain Open for Business
Sony's official statement confirms that rather than closing down for good, the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita digital stores will remain open.
Better still, the statement doesn't add a caveat that this is only a momentary reprieve. However, one might expect that the shutter door has been propped open temporarily, rather than ripped off entirely.
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.
Unfortunately, the PSP digital store will close as planned on 2 July 2021.
Sony Grant Lifeline to PS3 and Vita Users
The change of heart comes not a moment too soon for many users who were angry at losing a still much used digital store. For many, the announcement will be good news but irritating after having taken steps to preserve their digital licenses and so on.
But for others, the idea that the reversal of this decision is some altruistic move is causing further annoyance.
When the news that the PS3 and PS Vita digital store would close first broke, there was a huge outpouring of anger towards Sony. That anger hasn't entirely abated, with many PlayStation 3 and PS Vita users angry that thousands of games would suddenly become inaccessible for their devices.
The shuttering of a much-loved digital service like the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita digital store does raise a bigger question for major tech companies. Just how long can they support digital services for rapidly aging consoles?
Sony launched the PlayStation 3 back in 2006. The latest version of the console, the PlayStation 5, launched in 2020, though many people are still struggling to get their hands on one. Stock shortages aside, at what point can Sony close the digital store for a now 15-year-old console and not face the wrath of the public?