Update April 19, 2021 at 2:00 pm EDT: PlayStation announced they will NOT close down the PlayStation Store for the PlayStation 3 and Vita this summer. However the PSP will continue to close on July 2nd as planned. Original story of the closure below.
Announcing today on the official PlayStation site, the PlayStation Store closing for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable (PSP), and PlayStation Vita this summer. With the PlayStation 5 out to the public and with the Vita closing its production in 2019, it was a matter of time to close-up shop for these devices. The digital close closes its doors for each of the consoles at the following dates:
- PlayStation 3 – July 2, 2021
- PlayStation Vita – August 27, 2021
- PlayStation Portable (PSP) – July 2, 2021 (remaining purchase functionality)
However, players can still re-download content that’s purchased before its closing times. If you have remaining credit on your PlayStation Network account, it won’t expire. Instead, it’ll transfer over for you to make future purchases on the PS4 and PS5. For those concern, the closure won’t effect your PlayStation Now or PlayStation Plus subscriptions.
In this day and age of video games, owning physical copies looks to have a positive appeal. Unfortunately with the day-one patches and updates become a modern activity, it’ll be tougher to hold onto games long-term without the necessary updates even if you own the physical game.
Source: PlayStation, (update)