Sony will begin the PlayStation Store PS3 PS Vita closure in select markets this year, then extend it globally next year. The change ends new content purchases on two legacy storefronts, but previously bought content will still be downloadable for the foreseeable future.
Mary Yee and the update
The update was posted on PlayStation.Blog, where Mary Yee appears among the contributors attached to the notice. Sony said, "After nearly two decades of supporting the PS3 console generation, we wanted to let you know we will be closing the PlayStation Store on PS3, as well as on PS Vita."
Sony tied the decision to payment processing limits on the older devices. The company said PS3 and PS Vita are no longer able to support updated payment processing standards at the level required, while the PlayStation Store continues to evolve to support modern commerce systems.
PS3 and PS Vita access
Sony drew a clear line between buying and downloading. "That means new content purchases will no longer be possible once the PlayStation Store closes on these devices," the company said. "To ease the transition, players will still be able to download previously purchased content after the closing date for the foreseeable future."
For players, the immediate practical change is that buying on those storefronts will stop first in select markets on PS3 this year, before the rollout reaches both PS3 and PS Vita worldwide next year. The update leaves the download library intact for now, so anyone with purchased content can still retrieve it after the store doors close.
Sony's timeline
The phased approach means the first cutoff will not happen everywhere at once. Sony has not given the exact market list or the specific dates for the global closures, so the only firm timetable in the notice is the sequence: select markets this year, then worldwide next year.
Sony also said PS3 and PS Vita represent an important era in PlayStation history. That framing puts the shutdown at the end of a long run for both storefronts, with the company moving users toward download access instead of fresh purchases as the old commerce systems are retired.
