Sony is reversing its plans to shut down the PS Vita and PS3 digital storefronts following feedback from the community. Sony does still plan to “retire” PSP commerce functionality on July 2, 2021.
In a post on the PlayStation Blog, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO and President Jim Ryan explains the company made “the wrong decision.” He goes on to say that, “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.”
Ryan also thanked fans for their feedback, adding that “we’re always listening and appreciate the support from our PlayStation community.”
Recently, players had reported experiencing issues with downloading certain PS3 game patches, and it was assumed this was tied to the forthcoming store closures. Either way, Sony will be releasing individual patches for each of the affected games, according to a post on PSNProfiles.
With the initial news that PS3 and PS Vita stores were going to close, prices of certain physical editions of games on those platforms had skyrocketed. It’s unclear if prices will subside now that the digital storefronts will remain operational. Players still be able to download their digital counterparts following Sony’s recent decision.
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