Sony reverses course, will keep PlayStation Store for PS3 and PS Vita open

Many gamers were stunned last month when Sony announced that the PlayStation 3, PS Vita, and PlayStation Portable would terminate their respective stores this coming summer. Those same gamers are likely breathing a sigh of relief today: Sony announced that the PS3 and PS Vita stores will stay open for the time being.

The announcement comes via a blog post from Sony Interactive Entertainment President and CEO Jim Ryan. In the post, Ryan says “it’s clear that [Sony] made the wrong decision here.”

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.

While players will still be able to buy games on the PS3 and PS Vita, the PlayStation Portable (PSP) commerce functions will end on July 2, 2021. As such, PSP gamers will need to buy the games they want before July.

The continuation of the PlayStation 3’s PlayStation Store may present a challenge to Sony; the company is now supporting three console generations’ worth of systems, games, and commerce. However, considering the outcry against the initial decision to end commerce functions on the PS3 and PS Vita, Sony seems to be making a decision with its consumers in mind. At the very least, the reversal may tide some gamers over as they wait for better availability of the PlayStation 5.

What do you think about Sony’s reversal on the PlayStation Store? Let us know in the comments.

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