We already know that Sony has pretty much abandoned its PlayStation Vita system, even though some third-party developers and indie companies are keeping it alive with releases. But the publisher may have just added another nail to its coffin.
Per this report from Kotaku, Sony is discontinuing production of physical PlayStation Vita games. That’s not to say support will stop, as digital releases for the system are still bound to continue. But as far as purchasing retail copies of games, it looks like the party is over for Vita.
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Both the American and European branches of the company “plan to end all Vita GameCard production by close of fiscal year 2018,” Kotaku learned through company reps.
Not that the Vita has really seen a lot of games get released physically over the years, save for some limited releases. But some people rely on them to save space on their Vita system.
Sony noted that all product code requests for Vita games must be submitted by June 28 of this year, and final purchase orders must be entered by February 15, 2019. Following that, third-party developers may no longer be able to get Vita cartridges made.
Now, some companies have managed to thrive with limited Vita releases. Limited Run Games, for instance, offers a few physical releases. But they may have to scale back to PS4 and Switch games if this ends up happening.
The system originally launched back in 2012, where it received a mixed reception from fans. Sony continued to support it for some time with a mixture of releases, including a suitable handheld port of Borderlands 2. But shortly thereafter, it cut off first-party support for the system — only for third-party companies to step in and continue backing it with releases like Iconoclasts and Secret of Mana. There’s also ample support for the system in Japan, including import-only releases like Attack on Titan 2, which fans have been purchasing.
But the end may come sooner rather than later, especially with rumors that Sony may be working on a system set-up akin to the Nintendo Switch. So if you’ve got a Vita, hunt down those physical copies if you can. You’ll want to build up your library sooner rather than later, especially with prices on the rise.
The PlayStation Vita is available now.
