Rumor: PlayStation Network PSN Name Change Option Coming

The ability to change your PSN name on PlayStation may finally be on the way, according to Kotaku's Jason Schreier. His report indicates that several developers have independently corroborated the fact that they're preparing for PlayStation Network name changes to finally roll out.

"Three people at three different game studios," Schreier states, "speaking anonymously because they were not authorized to talk to press, said that in recent months they've been fixing bugs, tweaking settings, and ensuring that their games are compatible with Sony's plans. A fourth person who worked for a game studio shared a photo, obtained from internal Sony documentation, of a PSN profile containing the option 'edit username.' The documentation was a guide for changing one's name on the PlayStation Network, that person said."

As for when this feature might roll out, that's still in the air. Apparently the way that PSN usernames and unique player ID's are tied to accounts makes things really messy, and if Sony wants to give developers time to go back and make the necessary changes to older or contemporary multiplayer games to accommodate this change, things could get pretty backed up. In other words, don't expect this feature to hit with the next minor firmware update, but rest assured that it's in the cards.

This is a very basic feature that PS4 and PlayStation fans generally have been requesting for ages, but after several major firmware updates (and the launch of a new console), we're still stuck with our original PSN names. For many of you, your PSN name was something you chose when you were young, when you were edgy, when you were stupid... or just when you were in a hurry to set up your PSN account and get rolling. Favorite characters who have fallen out of fashion, sexual plays on words, drug references, and random numbers litter the PSN names of many now-mature gamers, and this very basic function is going to be a very welcome one when it drops.

We'll keep our ears to the ground and update you straight away as soon as we get a hold of any kind of solid time-frame or roadmap for this, and any other, forthcoming system features. Stay tuned!