19 April 2021

PlayStation Store for PS3 and PS Vita to remain after Sony U-turn

19 April 2021

Sony has backtracked on a decision to shut the PlayStation Store for PS3 and PS Vita devices following a backlash from players.

Last month, the tech giant announced it would close the digital stores for both consoles in the summer, meaning users would no longer be able to download legacy titles.

But Jim Ryan, president and chief executive of Sony Interactive Entertainment, said it was “clear that we made the wrong decision”.

Plans to shut the PSP store will go ahead as planned on July 2.

“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,” Mr Ryan explained.

“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.

“I’m glad that we can keep this piece of our history alive for gamers to enjoy, while we continue to create cutting-edge new game worlds for PS4, PS5 and the next generation of VR.”

The best videos delivered daily

Watch the stories that matter, right from your inbox