PlayStation fans have been clamoring online for Sony to bring back thePlayStation Homeservice that was available on the PS3. With the PS5 being on the market for over two years and the recent additions made to PlayStation Network, those who experiencedPlayStation Homein its heyday are hoping to see the service return on the PS5.
PlayStation Home was a third-person social gaming platform that launched in 2008 for the PS3 and was freely available for all PlayStation Network members. Similar to experiences likeSecond Life, it gave users a virtual environment made up of hub worlds and personal spaces in which player-controlled avatars could interact with each other in social environments, play mini games, and earn in-game awards, all while being immersed in strong PlayStation theming. The in-game awards functioned similarly to the digital collectibles available through thePlayStation Stars loyalty programthat launched late last year.
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PlayStation Home would shut down at the end of March 2015after over six years of service and over a year after the launch of the PS4. The service never set the world on fire, but it was very popular with PS3 owners as nearly all of them had access to the service. While seldom mentioned by Sony today, fans have wanted to see PlayStation Home return to modern PlayStation platforms in some manner. This is exemplified in a recent post on the PlayStation subreddit from user ipoopup that simply read, “Bring this back Sony,” alongside a picture of one of PlayStation Home’s hub worlds.
At the time of writing, the post sits at about 3,000 upvotes and 340 comments. These comments consist of fans reminiscing on their PlayStation Home memories which include playing virtual bowling with friends, decorating their personal spaces, and attending Sony’s virtual E3 events that recreated real-life booths from E3. A popularly held opinion in the comments was that a modern version of PlayStation Home would fit right in on the PS5, particularly if it worked in tandem with the digital rewards offered through PlayStation Stars and thenew features and technology included in PS VR2.
PlayStation Home was discontinued shortly into the PS4’s life and never came to the system, meaning that Sony went through nearly an entire console generation without PlayStation Home. It has yet to be seen if PlayStation Home could be brought back on the PS5, though a2021 trademark renewal for PlayStation Homelends credence to the idea. Right now might be the best time for the service to return, as the PS5 now has the technical capability needed to take a more ambitious approach to PlayStation Home, especially if integrated with PS VR2. There is a clear amount of demand for a new version of PlayStation Home, but PlayStation gamers will have to wait and see if Sony will answer this call from fans.
PlayStation Homefirst launched in 2008 on the PS3 and ran until 2015.
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