UPDATE: It’s come to light that the servers have come back online. It’s likely that the issue was a random outage and for now, you can still play the game online.
It’s a sad day for fans of Sony’s plucky little handheld, the PlayStation Vita. While the Japanese giant’s first-party support for its pocket-sized system has been non-existent for the past few years – for context, the last Sony-published software was Freedom Wars way back in late 2014 – there’s been a surprisingly consistent in-flux of indies releasing every couple of weeks to help keep the console on life-support. In other words: While the portable didn’t exactly sell like gangbusters at launch, there’s still a small yet remarkably dedicated audience that really adores the PS Vita, even to this day – yours truly included.
Unfortunately, though, Sony has just unleashed yet another deathblow on its under-appreciated system. That’s right, the platform holder has quietly shut down the online servers to one of its most popular games: Killzone: Mercenary. Sad times, right?
Even though Killzone: Mercenary was a PS Vita exclusive, the sci-fi shooter still built up a devoted and active online fanbase over the years. In fact, it’s fair to say that Guerilla Cambirdge’s underrated FPS was one of the rare Sony-published system-sellers released on the diminutive platform.
Of course, it’s not too surprising seeing a 7-year-old game – on legacy hardware, no less – get shut down. However, the usual protocol for matters like this is for the publisher to give their fans a bit of a heads up before flicking the ‘off’ switch. Sadly, Sony did no such thing before shutting down Killzone: Mercenary‘s servers.
Instead, the platform holder simply confirmed the shutdown after having carried it out. As it stands, the online multiplayer component of Guerilla’s fifth entry in its marquee shooter franchise is currently unplayable on Sony’s portable. So, let’s raise a glass to one of the most visually spectacular handheld first-person shooters out there. *clink*
Tell us, though, are you as gutted as us about the shutdown of Killzone: Mercenary‘s online servers? Or is it time to finally say goodbye to Sony’s unloved handheld? Let us know in the usual place down below.