From Genshin Impact to WWE 2K24, the PlayStation Store is losing big titles—what this means for the fans.
A lot of people are angry that many popular PS4 and PS5 games are being taken off the market for good. Many gamers are worried about the long-term effects of all-digital gaming and about how games will be accessible and preserved after they are removed from the PlayStation Store.
The delisting of Genshin Impact is one of the most shocking pieces of news. Action-RPG has become a worldwide hit on Steam, mobile, and PlayStation, among other systems. The game will soon no longer be available to buy on the PlayStation Store, even though it is very popular.
Some people might not play the game themselves, but taking it out of the libraries of millions of players is a controversial move.
Because of this, it’s clear that digital-only platforms are weak, and even the most popular games can disappear quickly. The Finals from Embark Studios, the company that developed Arc Raiders, is another game that could be removed from the market.
Unlike Genshin, this choice was made for a technical reason. The PS4 version, which was made with Unreal Engine 5, has trouble with larger maps and updates, which means it can’t get more technical or financial support.
The game has a smaller user base, but it offers great online first-person shooter gameplay, with features that remind me of Battlefield because a well-known developer developed it.
There will be a loss for people who like Online Shooters.
The Finals are still going on for PS5, but soon PS4 players will no longer be able to play it, even if they already have it. The delisting shows how hard it is to keep cross-generational support for resource-intensive games up to date.
Fans of sports video games are also getting hit hard, as WWE 2K24 was taken away after only 2 years. When you take sports titles off the market, you might miss roster changes or have trouble finding legal copies. Since hard copies are becoming harder to find, prices are likely to rise. This is a lot like recent problems in the NASCAR series, where new games made with Unreal Engine 5 didn’t work well on older systems.
This trend shows one of the worst things about all-digital ecosystem games: what is taken away is often never returned.
Physical media isn’t as popular as digital media, but it still gives players power and permanence. Many gamers say that disc drives on systems like the PS5 are still important, especially in areas where high-speed internet isn’t common. Without them, it gets harder and harder to get games, especially older or less popular ones.
Delistings like these affect the gaming community, even though they are usually driven by business decisions, technical issues, or player losses.
Some people find it mildly annoying, while others see it as a huge waste of time, money, and pleasure. As the PlayStation environment changes, one thing is for sure: the time of permanent digital ownership is not here yet.
When people play free-to-play games like Genshin Impact or popular online shooters like The Finals, they are reminded that digital access doesn’t always mean stability. For people who love physical copies, taking these titles off the market is a warning: having a disc on the shelf is sometimes more than just a nostalgic choice; it’s a safety measure.
