Sony announced this morning that the company will shutter it’s PSP Storefront effective March 31st, 2016. In a blog post on Sony’s Japanese website, the company announced that access to the PSN Store would no longer be available on Japanese PSP’s, effective this coming March. While PSP users will no longer have direct access to the store, the company clarified that games will continue to be sold for the platform, via PS3, PS Vita, and PC. Furthermore, players will still be able to re-download previous purchases, and, like new purchases, transfer them to the system via memory card.
While the move seems to be specifically Japan-focused right now, it’s probably safe to assume that it won’t be long before the North American, European, and Australian storefront also closes. The move effectively ends the life-cycle of the PSP, and the PSP Go – which still enjoys substantial popularity in Japan. With the Vita having never reached the highs that it’s older brother did, it’s fair to wonder if this signals the beginning of the end for Sony in the mobile market.
