Sony appears to have blocked access to an old webstore that allowed players access to PlayStation 3, PS Vita, and PSP games.
Last year, Sony relaunched its web and mobile storefronts, blocking access to the PS3, PSP, and PS Vita games they included. Despite the takedown, however, fans discovered a workaround that would allow them to access their purchases via region-specific URLs.
Over the weekend, however, Resetera users spotted that this workaround had been removed, and that even the specific web addresses now redirect to that revamped store, which only offers access to PS4 and PS5 games.
The change comes just days after reports that Sony is planning on closing the stores for its older consoles entirely. The PS3 and PSP stores are reportedly set to go offline on July 2, with the Vita store following shortly behind, with its last day scheduled for August 27. There's been no official word from Sony on that front yet, but players are taking the opportunity to ensure they've downloaded platform exclusives as, after this summer, they could be gone forever.
The decision to halt the workaround could just be Sony shoring up its web presence, but in the context of the aforementioned report, it seems somewhat safe to assume that this is just the next step in the process of sunsetting those storefronts entirely. If you're still regularly using your old consoles then your games will remain in place, but you won't be able to download anything new, so if there's anything you want to check out, you've only got a few months left to grab it.
For a crash course on what to grab, here's our list of the best PS3 games.
