Sony is halting production of physical PlayStation Vita games. According to a new report from Kotaku, the company will shut down all Vita GameCard production by the end of the fiscal year in March 2019.
Although the decision marks the beginning of the end for physical Vita releases, Sony has reassured fans of the console that digital distribution will continue.
An email sent out to developers in the U.S. and Europe told them to submit all Vita product code by June 28, 2018, with final GameCard purchase orders due to be entered by February 15, 2019.
March 2019 also happens to be the same month Sony is pulling PS3 and Vita titles from its PlayStation Plus subscription service.
As it stands, PlayStation Plus subscribers can grab a couple of free Vita games each month, but that’s set to change in a matter of months, making it even harder for Vita owners to get their fix.
Update: Sony has revealed it will continue churning out physical Vita titles in its home territory of Japan.
Speaking to Japanese website GameSpark (translated by Siliconera), the console maker looked to reassure fans on home soil by confirming “Vita cartridge production will continue in Japan.”
While this isn’t exactly a huge help for those based in Europe and the Americas, it does at least suggest there’s some time before Sony hammers the final nail into the Vita’s coffin.
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2018