A new report has claimed that the PlayStation Vita is officially dead, with Sony halting production of new software for the handheld console. While the PS Vita has hardly been in great shape over the past few years, Sony has yet to officially pull the plug on the hardware. Now it seems that the company has cut the cord, with producing concluding by the end of the fiscal year 2018.
The PlayStation Vita underperformed for Sony, pulling in an estimated 10-15 million sales since its 2011 in Japan. This was dwarfed by the Nintendo 3DS, which launched in the same year and has raked in over 72 million sales. Sony eventually stopped showcasing new PS Vita games in its press conferences, with the release of the PS4 completely overshadowing the console.
In a note sent out to developers reportedly received by Kotaku, Sony announced that it planned to “end all Vita GameCard production by close of fiscal year 2018.” The note added that developers should submit their product code requests by June 28, 2018, and that they’ll need to submit their final product orders by February 15, 2019.
With Sony’s fiscal year ending on March 31, 2019, that’s not a lot of time for Vita developers to get their games ready. However, with so few new games releasing on the console, it’s unlikely to create many issues. Stardew Valley is set to launch on the Vita on May 22, though after that Persona 5: Dancing Night and Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night are the only relatively major releases for the handheld.
The PS Vita has found an audience with its array of JRPGS, though failed to find a wider audience. It’s unsurprising that Sony is bringing an end to the console’s life cycle, and many will likely question why it’s taken them so long considering its lack of support.
