PlayStation Store fans will soon need a new place to rent movies. Sony announced on Tuesday that it is discontinuing the possibility of renting and buying movies and TV shows from PlayStation Store. The change will take effect on August 31.
The good news for PlayStation movie renters is that it shouldn’t take long to find a replacement. Services like YouTube, Amazon Prime Video and Vudu are some of the largest movie rental apps in the world and are all available on PlayStation Store.
According to Sony’s blog post about the move, the biggest motivator behind his decision was the increased use of subscription and ad-based streaming services, not just those that allow rent. And the PlayStation Store also has a lot of options there, with services like Netflix, HBO Max and Peacock.
Although the ability to rent through PlayStation Store may be disappearing, any content you have purchased will not be. Sony’s statement includes a guarantee to customers that any movies and TV shows they have already purchased on PlayStation Store will still be available for viewing on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and mobile devices.