Sony will end support for the PlayStation Communities feature from April, the company has announced.
Following the removal of the PlayStation Communities app from the iOS and Android stores in March 2020, Sony recently posted an update on the important notices section of the PlayStation website.
"Thank you for using the PS Communities feature on your PS4 console. Beginning in April 2021, this feature will no longer be supported or available on your PS4 console," the notice said.
"However, you'll still be able to stay connected and enjoy messaging features and more on your PS4 and the PlayStation App."
What is PlayStation Communities?
First launching on the PlayStation 4 in 2015, PlayStation Communities is a social feature that allowed for players to organise into large groups based around specific games or series'.
Some of these communities had thousands of members, although the release of the PS5 has damaged the engagement of such groups. The PS5 launched without support for PlayStation Communities.
These communities also offered a way for PS4 owners to find new players to team up with in multiplayer games - an unofficial way to compete with Xbox's Looking for Group feature.
Why is Sony closing PlayStation Communities?
With the release of the PlayStation 5, Sony made the decision not to carry the Communities feature over to the next-gen console. As the company goes forward and gradually shifts support away from the PS4, it makes sense that PS4-era features will be sunsetted.
While there is no such PlayStation Communities feature on the PS5, Sony has integrated some elements into the wider social hub. Game Hubs, for example, allow some aspect of community content sharing, and the Game Base allows for larger groups of players to gather or talk.
There is the chance Sony could release further social and community updates in the future as it updates the PS5's UI and UX, although there is no guarantee. Perhaps it's time the PS5 added Discord support?
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