PlayStation Home Is About To Disappear Forever

It's time to observe a moment's silence; PlayStation Home is nearing the end because, from tonight, the social gaming platform will be shut down for good. Home launched to users on December 11, 2008 amidst a lot of industry fanfare and hype. It was championed by Phil Harrison, the president of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, who painted an image of a slick, virtual 3D world where gamers could meet and talk in cyberspace, away from the competitive environment of online multiplayer. It combined elements of the Sims and Second Life with popular RPGs, giving users a "home space" to customise and furnish with objects earned through playing mini-games. But interest in Home quickly started to wane as Sony struggled to capitalise on its full potential. More often than not, it was used by game studios to advertise their latest offering. There were some positives to come out of the Home experiment: it provided smaller developers an opportunity to work on games in the virtual world. One of them, Xi, was an adventure that unfolded in real time, attracting more than five million users. Patrick O'Luanaigh, the CEO of nDreams who developed Xi, wrote for GamesIndustry.biz:

There were many fundamental things wrong with the design of Home. But there was also so much that was right about it. Players loved to spend money on virtual items. But above all, it was the passion - the loyalty generated by Home - that will be long remembered by anyone involved with the platform. The community loved Home. Some people met on Home, then married in real life. For several people it was a refuge from the real world - a place where they felt safe and secure.

Home's demise did raise some questions, especially from those users who had pumped hundreds of pounds into the game, just to find out it was shutting down. A spokesperson for Sony confirmed it wouldn't be able to refund any money especially after browsing the Terms and Conditions for Home which stated:

We reserve the right to suspend or cancel the Open Beta or your access to the Open Beta at any time at our sole discretion.

Ultimately, it's a sad yet understandable decision by Sony and as Home draws its last breath, it's worth remembering as an idea that had its moments but just couldn't be sustained. Did you enjoy PlayStation Home? Do you have any fond memories? Let us know in the comments!