PlayStation 3, Portable, Vita Digital Stores to Close
Sony announced that it is shutting down the digital stores for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, and PlayStation Vita. PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable owners will no longer be able to purchase new content from their consoles from July 2, 2021. PlayStation Vita owners will no longer be able to purchase new content from August 27, 2021. The web versions of these stores were retired in October 2020.
Owners of the systems will still be able to download previously purchased games and content. Game vouchers will also still be redeemable. Existing wallet funds will be retained but will only be usable on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 stores. More details can be found on the PlayStation support website.
Mystic Chronicles, a Kemco RPG developed by Hit-Point and localized by Natsume (it’s the precursor to Justice Chronicles on mobile and 3DS) is currently only available digitally for the PSP/Vita/Vita TV. It’s going away when Sony’s digital stores close, although the Japanese-language version titled Fantasy Chronicles might still exist for Japanese mobile devices.
End of Serenity, a Kemco RPG developed by World Wide Software and localized by Natsume is also going away, although the mobile version titled End of Aspiration (and not localized by Natsume, I believe) will presumably still exist.
I’m not sure which other PSP/Vita (or PS3?) RPGs are exclusive to Sony’s digital store. I do expect the prices for exclusive physical PS3/PSP/Vita RPGs to go up.
If you want to get digital copies of the Revelations: Persona PSP remake (which has a LOT of quality of life improvements over the Playstation version and the restored Snow Queen Quest), Persona 2 Innocent Sin, or Persona 3 Portable (with the option of a female protagonist) for $10 each, buy them now. Physical copies of these PSP games can always be found on eBay, of course.
Play has no limits…
Sony, your decisions and supply issues may be irritating, but thank you for the greatest ironic slogan in recent marketing history