If you still plan on buying anything from the PS3, Vita, or PSP digital storefronts, you may want to do that in the next few months. A report from The Gamer indicates that the three legacy PlayStation platforms’ stores will be shutting down for good by July. PS3 and PSP will reportedly be going offline on July 2nd, followed by the PS Vita store closing two months later on August 27th.
Once the PS3, Vita, and PSP stores are closed, players won’t be able to buy any digital games, DLC, or other content from those digital storefronts. It’s unclear what this means for previously made purchases and if you will still be able to download the content you have rights to. Physical games will still work for the platforms that have physical capabilities, but it’s also unknown what the store closure means for downloading game updates
They also say Sony is planning to announce the closure at the end of this month. The Gamer’s report comes from an anonymous source independently verified by the outlet who is “familiar with the situation.”
At the end of last year, Sony made a massive change to the online PlayStation Store that removed the ability to purchase PS3, Vita, and PSP games and content through a browser. Certain developers are still making games for Vita, with a new one on the way as late as April 22. eastasiasoft is also bringing a number of new Vita games to the market this year, having asked players late last year if they would be interested in still buying games for Vita. While probably unrelated, the PS Vita store was unavailable for 24 hours in December last year.
If the report has veracity, we should be hearing official word from Sony by mid-next week. Hopefully the official announcement clears up any confusion about the status of content players own.
Does news of the reported PS3, Vita, and PSP store closures impact you? When was the last time you bought anything off of any of those storefronts? Jump into the comments below to let us know.
