Sony has announced that its PlayStation Mobile service, an experiment in putting games on portable devices including smartphones, is to be shut down in a process beginning in July this year.
Sony threw its lot in with advertising giant Google back in 2011, launching the Xperia Play smartphone alongside PlayStation Mobile. The latter would come to third-party Android devices, bringing mobile versions of the company's PlayStation games, but uptake for the service has apparently been significantly slower than Sony had hoped: PlayStation Certified devices are thin on the ground, and those choosing to spend cash on PlayStation Mobile games seemingly barely more numerous despite their compatibility with Sony's own mobile devices and the PS Vita console.
As a result, Sony is calling time on the service. No new content will be distributed via PlayStation Mobile from the 15th of July this year, while downloads in general - including of games and content purchased prior to the closure - will be deactivated on the 10th of September, along with the PlayStation Mobile for Android application itself.
Those who have actually spent money via the service are told by Sony that they won't lose access so long as the games are activated and the device authenticated with their account prior to the closure. However, any games not downloaded onto the local device will be inaccessible following the closure - and there'll be no way for a user to replace the device in the future, either as an upgrade or due to failure or damage, and retain access to the titles.
'We would like to sincerely thank our dedicated PlayStation fans and the development community for their participation in PSM,' the company's official statement, which does not include a reason for the closure, reads.
Sony threw its lot in with advertising giant Google back in 2011, launching the Xperia Play smartphone alongside PlayStation Mobile. The latter would come to third-party Android devices, bringing mobile versions of the company's PlayStation games, but uptake for the service has apparently been significantly slower than Sony had hoped: PlayStation Certified devices are thin on the ground, and those choosing to spend cash on PlayStation Mobile games seemingly barely more numerous despite their compatibility with Sony's own mobile devices and the PS Vita console.
As a result, Sony is calling time on the service. No new content will be distributed via PlayStation Mobile from the 15th of July this year, while downloads in general - including of games and content purchased prior to the closure - will be deactivated on the 10th of September, along with the PlayStation Mobile for Android application itself.
Those who have actually spent money via the service are told by Sony that they won't lose access so long as the games are activated and the device authenticated with their account prior to the closure. However, any games not downloaded onto the local device will be inaccessible following the closure - and there'll be no way for a user to replace the device in the future, either as an upgrade or due to failure or damage, and retain access to the titles.
'We would like to sincerely thank our dedicated PlayStation fans and the development community for their participation in PSM,' the company's official statement, which does not include a reason for the closure, reads.
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