Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Servers for PlayStation Vita’s Killzone: Mercenary shut down without warning

Aaron Mamiit
By

The servers for the PlayStation Vita’s Killzone: Mercenary were shut down without warning, taking offline a relatively vibrant player base for a seven-year-old game.

Killzone: Mercenary, widely considered one of the best PlayStation Vita games, was released in 2013 exclusively for the portable console. The shooter offers bite-sized missions perfect for on-the-go gaming, but its online multiplayer mode made it one of the best entries on the PlayStation Vita.

Recommended Videos

Unfortunately, it appears that Killzone: Mercenary‘s servers have been suddenly shut down, eliminating the game’s online multiplayer capabilities. A thread on the PlayStation Vita subreddit revealed players found difficulty in accessing the servers, while a separate thread confirmed the server shutdown. A Redditor who goes by the name u/MisterMagellan claimed that a Sony support representative said the servers have been taken offline.

Shutting down the servers of a 2013 title is not unheard of, but the remaining players of Killzone: Mercenary are in an uproar because there was no prior announcement. In comparison, Sony gave players of 2014’s Driveclub for the PlayStation 4 a full year before closing the racing game’s servers and eliminating all its online features.

Killzone: Mercenary players are now attempting to get the game’s servers back online, claiming that the sudden closure may be a breach of the terms of service. It remains unclear, however, if there will be enough clamor to revive the servers of a seven-year-old game on a discontinued console.

Long live the PlayStation Vita

The PlayStation Vita, which was launched in the U.S. in early 2012, officially ended production in 2019 after seven years of struggling to reach the same success as its predecessor, the PlayStation Portable. The console, however, released gems such as Persona 4 Golden, Gravity Rush, and Uncharted: Golden Abyss.

Fans of the PlayStation Vita hoping for another attempt by Sony at the handheld gaming market should not hold their breath, as Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO Jim Ryan has said that there are no plans for a successor to the portable console.

The PlayStation Vita community, meanwhile, is still very much alive, despite the dominance of the Nintendo Switch in the portable console scene.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Aaron Mamiit
Aaron Mamiit
Contributor
Aaron received a NES and a copy of Super Mario Bros. for Christmas when he was 4 years old, and he has been fascinated with…
Dreams live support is ending — and that’s a big misstep for PlayStation
Art fights a giant bird in Dreams.

Sony could’ve had its own popular proprietary game engine and metaverse. Instead, it just let it slip through its fingers.

Media Molecule is ending live support for Dreams, its highly ambitious game-creating and playing tool for PS4, on September 1. Its servers are staying online for now -- and it has a few more content updates in the pipeline before then -- but after August, there will be no new tools, ports, or events for Dreams. That means it’s not coming to PS5, PlayStation VR2, and, most critically, PC.

Read more
I’m already pining for PlayStation VR2 to get Half-Life: Alyx
half life alyx vr details feature

I haven't played Half-Life: Alyx, but I really, really want to.

Last month, I picked up the PlayStation VR2 as my first virtual reality headset and have been enjoying a wide range of games on it since then, from Zombieland: Headshot Fever Reloaded to Horizon Call of the Mountain. Although the lack of exciting new titles in PSVR2's launch window library doesn't bother me that much as this is my first VR experience, I do still recognize that there are only a couple of games that are pushing the PSVR2's technology and giving Sony's second VR outing a clear identity.

Read more
PlayStation VR2 is my first headset. Here’s what I think after one week in VR
A side view of the PlayStation VR2, which sits on a wood table.

Before my PlayStation VR2 arrived at my doorstep last week, my experience playing in VR was minimal. I'd reported on the industry and its games for years, but my actual playtime in a headset was limited to an Eve: Valkyrie demo at a GameStop ahead of PlayStation VR's launch, a couple of demos at trade shows, and one 15-minute session of Phantom: Covert Ops on Meta Quest 2 while hanging out with a friend. 
Despite claims by companies like Meta that VR would serve as the future of communication and entertainment, the technology seemed too scattershot and underdeveloped for my liking, with many competitors putting out underpowered headsets, many of which need a wire or two. That said, part of me still wondered if it would take the right headset with the right features and game library to transform the gaming medium forever. Although the Meta Quest 2 has tempted me for some time, it was the PlayStation VR2 that finally got me to bite the bullet and embrace VR.

PSVR2 is expensive at $550, but it appealed to me with its impressive specs and the fact that it only requires one wired connection to the PS5. That was all I needed to bite the bullet. Since it arrived, I've gone all-in on the tech to make up for lost time, trying out games like Gran Turismo 7, Horizon Call of the Mountain, and Zombieland: Headshot Fever Reloaded. Although I'm impressed by the headset's power and how comfortable it is, don't consider me a convert just yet. I can't imagine it replacing traditional gaming on my PS5 or becoming my preferred social setting anytime soon, and that leaves me to wonder how high VR's ceiling can actually go.
Strapping in
My first thought when I got my PSVR2 was that the package was much smaller and lighter than I expected. VR always seemed large and clunky from an outside perspective, so I was impressed by the sleek and easy-to-unbox packaging and the headset's manageable size. Next, I had to set up the headset, which was something I was dreading as a first-time user. Surprisingly, the setup process was pretty quick after I plugged in the headset.
Within about 15 minutes, I had completed the initial setup and was already familiar with the passthrough tool. It didn't dig into my head and nose like I thought it would, mercifully. The few times I've strapped on other VR headsets, they've always felt like they're squeezing my face. That was not the case here, as I easily adjusted the headset to my liking. Even the feeling of the wire quickly became a non-factor for me as I played more and more.

Read more