Sony gives up on PlayStation Mobile for Android

Sony has announced that it will no longer support the Android side of PlayStation Mobile, its initiative to support cross-platform indie game publishing for the PS Vita and Google’s OS. The service will continue to operate on PlayStation Certified devices running Android 4.4.2 and below, but from Android 4.4.3 and up, Sony can’t guarantee that games will play correctly or that users will be able to access the store. Phones and tablets on Android L, the upcoming major refresh, won’t have store access at all, and Sony says it has no plans to give any more devices PlayStation Certified status.

PlayStation Mobile offered a selection of original PSOne games, and had the occasional breakout hit of its own like Velocity, later remixed into a deluxe version for the regular PlayStation Store. But many of its most notable titles were also available on iOS, like Super Crate Box and Rymdkapsel. It may still have a place as the simplest way for indie developers to get their games onto the Vita, but given the console’s increased focus on indie games in general, it appears that the end is in sight for this initiative.