No console lives forever, although it seems like the more recent generations have enjoyed lengthy runs. Sony delivered some disconcerting news to fans this week as it said that the PlayStation 4, which debuted back in 2013, is now heading into the end of its life cycle as hardware sales decrease.
This doesn’t mean that the console is going to be abandoned any time soon, just that Sony is shifting its hardware priorities elsewhere. Software sales are still expected to continue strong for the time being, and the company reported that the online PlayStation Network now has 80 million users. Sony told The Wall Street Journal that the next iteration of the popular platform is at least three years off.
Still, this news does concern the growing field of console MMORPGs, many of which have migrated to the PlayStation 4. These include Final Fantasy XIV, DCUO, Neverwinter, Star Trek Online, Elder Scrolls Online, and Warframe. We saw what happened with the PlayStation 3 at the end of its life cycle, when studios stopped supporting their products on that console (such as when Bungie ceased updates for Destiny on the PS3 while continuing on with the PS4). How long do these games have on these platforms? It’s still too early to tell, but one thing is for sure: The clock has started ticking down.
