You have probably heard by now, that we’ll be waving goodbye to the PS3, PSP and PSVita PlayStation Stores this year.

If not, you can find more information out about the closure itself and what it means via Wololo and/or Modern Vintage Gamer. Here are ReviveToday, we’re focusing mainly on how this will impact the retro legacy from here-on out. If you want to see the original email from Sony, we’ve archived a copy here.

❗ Update from PlayStation

Jim Ryan, President & CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, has released a statement reversing the decision to close the PlayStation 3 & Vita stores.

Sourced from the PlayStation Blog:

[…]it’s clear that we made the wrong decision here. So today I’m happy to say that we will be keeping the PlayStation Store operational for PS3 and PS Vita devices. PSP commerce functionality will retire on July 2, 2021 as planned.

Jim Ryan @ PlayStation Blog

The closure of the PSP store will continue to go as planned (potentially as it is already partially closed), but the other systems affected have now been cancelled indefinitely.

Existing Purchases are Safe

To quote Sony directly (emphasis is added by us):

What about content you already own?

• You will still be able to download your owned PS3, PS Vita, and PSP content, including games and video content.

• You can download your owned content onto your PS3, PS Vita, or PSP by accessing the Download List on the respective device.

• If you have purchased a PS3/PS Vita cross-buy bundle and have only downloaded either the PS3 or PS Vita version, you will need to download the other version prior to the closure of PlayStation™Store on the relevant device.

• Video content that you own can be streamed on PS3, PS4 or PS5 through the My Videos app, or on mobile devices through the PlayStation™Video app.

• You will still be able to re-download and play game titles you have claimed through PlayStation®Plus as long as you remain a member of the service.

To summarise:

  • Bought content can still be downloaded on all platforms of concern, via the Download List.
    • Plus claims are included for PS3 and Vita, so long as you’re still a member.
  • Purchased Sony Media can still be streamed on the PS3.
  • Cross-buy bundles are ending, so download them before the closure.
    • 2nd July 2021 for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable.
    • 27th August 2021 for PlayStation Vita.

Since DLC is only normally accessible via digital download when a special edition hasn’t been released, any DLC you’ve been undecided about should be purchased as soon as possible.

For all the games, DLC, themes and more that you’ve purchased so far, you can keep downloading these after the store has shut down. This approach also likely means that one of the most popular tools for circumventing the Store downloads will likely too remain supported once the store closes.

What about post-July and post-August?

That’s it, if you didn’t purchase that game you wanted, you’ll have to buy a physical copy of the game instead. This will also likely see a boom in the prices of used and collectable hard copies of games on second-hand markets.

This may also lead to a rise in video game piracy, if the games become difficult or unaffordable to purchase on said markets. All platforms affected have big homebrew scenes, and in turn also have big piracy scenes, so there may be illegitimate ways of getting these games post-closure. If so, Sony has just inadvertently increased the chances of these developers losing out to piracy.

Game Over for the Platforms?

Far from it! All three platforms benefit from huge homebrew communities, which will keep up activity for years to come. Look at the original Xbox and the Dreamcast for how long communities care for these devices. All this means is that Sony is cutting one of the major sources of funds that they receive from these platforms, but will not stop you from enjoying all your existing content, content you can purchase second-hand, and the vast range of homebrew titles out there.

We currently cover the PlayStation Portable here. PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita are coming soon, but stay tuned for more information on those platforms.

Edit: Article update as it incorrectly referred to the PlayStation Network, rather than the PlayStation Store.