Sony is no longer closing down digital stores for PS3 and PS Vita

A new announcement from the PlayStation camp just confirmed that Sony is no longer going ahead with closing down PS3 and PS Vita stores. Sony going back on their decision was largely a result of fans being incredibly vocal regarding their reservations.

The console gaming community was sent into complete meltdown a few weeks back after Sony announced that it will be closing down digital stores for the PS3 and PS Vita. This essentially meant that players could no longer make digital purchases for either console.

That meant that the preservation of PS3 and Vita titles would become incredibly tough, with players no longer having access to the titles if they didn't own a physical copy.

Sony is no longer closing down digital stores for PS3 and PS Vita

PS Store Update: Players will be able to continue to purchase games on PS3 and PS Vita: https://t.co/hLTznJeiML pic.twitter.com/5Idy1Modcb

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) April 19, 2021

In a statement by Jim Ryan, President & CEO, Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation confirmed its decision to go back on the planned move.

"Upon further reflection, however, 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."

The statement also confirmed that PSP digital stores will retire in the summer. This, although understandable, is certainly quite sad for nostalgic PSP users.

The statement by Jim Ryan detailed the reasons behind the plans for the closing down of digital stores for older consoles.

"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."

Ryan proceeded to acknowledge the PlayStation fanbase's passion for classic PS3 and PS Vita titles and how the games still have great demand. This kind of organic response to the PlayStation community's interests is a step forward for Sony, who can't seem to catch a break these days.

Most recently, Sony's decision to cancel a future Days Gone sequel and reportedly greenlighting a Last of Us remake caused an uproar within the gaming community.