In a nutshell: As Sony shifts focus and resources to the PlayStation 5, it decided it would shutter its older legacy stores this summer. However, after fans spoke out, the company reversed its decision. All PlayStation marketplaces will remain open except for the PSP store.
Last month, Sony confirmed that it was shuttering the PS3, PSP, and Vita stores this summer. The announcement came in response to rumors of the closures made the rounds after it took the online versions offline.
The company has since changed its mind about closing the digital PlayStation 3 and PS Vita stores. On Monday, SIE President and CEO Jim Ryan said they were rolling back this decision.
"Upon further reflection, however, it's clear that we made the wrong decision here," Ryan explained in a statement to users. "I'm happy to say that we will be keeping the PlayStation Store operational for PS3 and PS Vita devices."
However, Sony still plans to close the PSP marketplace on July 2, 2021, as initially announced.
Ryan says that the decision to sunset the PS3 and Vita stores arose from the complicated nature of keeping those marketplaces open for the aging hardware. He also noted that Sony is focused on offering content to newer consoles, particularly the PS5. Besides not having enough consoles to keep the scalpers at bay, the PlayStation 5 currently suffers from a shortage of content.
The change of heart came after considerable backlash from the PS3 and Vita communities.
"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."
Ryan did not mention a new timeline for closing these stores in the future. So they will remain open indefinitely for now. Sony has already assured customers that even when the marketplaces do eventually shut down, they will still have access to their digital games.