Sony’s Latest Moves Leave PlayStation Fans Frustrated as Infamous 2 Loses a Major Feature

Sony has once again found itself at the center of another wave of criticism from longtime PlayStation fans, and this time the frustration goes beyond the company's shift toward an all-digital future. By now, you have probably already heard about PlayStation's decision to move away from physical games, but that announcement has been followed by another change that has only added to the growing backlash. 

Sony has officially confirmed that the PlayStation 3 Store, along with the PlayStation Vita Store, will eventually shut down in the United States in 2027, while several other regions will lose access even sooner.

For many players, the store closures are only part of the problem. 

One of the biggest concerns now revolves around Infamous 2, a PlayStation 3 exclusive that has remained a fan favorite for years despite repeated requests for a modern remaster or port. Instead of receiving new life on newer hardware, the game is about to lose one of its defining features as Sony prepares to shut down its user-created missions.

The servers supporting user-generated content for Infamous 2 are scheduled to go offline on August 31. While that might sound like a relatively small change at first glance, it has much bigger consequences if you still care about completing everything the game has to offer. 

If you still own a PlayStation 3 and have Infamous 2 sitting in your library, the deadline suddenly becomes much more important. You will need to finish those user-generated content trophies before the end of August if completing the trophy list matters to you. After that date, the Platinum Trophy will effectively become unobtainable for anyone who has not already finished the required objectives.

There is still one relatively inexpensive way to jump back into the series before that happens. Infamous and Infamous 2 are currently available together as a bundle on the PlayStation 3 Store for around $14.99. Considering how highly regarded both games remain among PlayStation fans, many still see that bundle as one of the better values available on the aging storefront.

That value only highlights a larger frustration that has surrounded the franchise for years. Fans have spent more than a decade asking Sony to bring Infamous back through a remaster or remake, yet the company has never seriously revisited the series. 

From that perspective, the timing of Sony's recent announcements has been difficult to ignore. On one hand, the company continues encouraging players toward a digital-only future, while on the other, it is revoking access to older content and allowing pieces of PlayStation history to disappear. 

That feeling becomes even stronger when you consider how little PlayStation has done to support its PlayStation 3 catalog on modern systems. 

Native PS3 backward compatibility still does not exist on PlayStation 5, with Sony frequently pointing to the PlayStation 3's Cell processor architecture as one of the most significant technical challenges. While those hardware limitations are real, many players argue that full backward compatibility is no longer the only solution.

Instead, they believe Sony could simply remaster many of its most beloved PlayStation 3 games, just as it has done with other franchises in the past. Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection showed us that older PlayStation games can transition to newer hardware. Fans are still wondering why Infamous has been missing for so long, despite years of requests.

And even if Sony later decided to release those titles digitally-only, the chance to play them again would be something many players would appreciate. Currently, however, that option simply does not exist. Rather than seeing classic PlayStation exclusives return, players are instead watching features disappear while subscription prices continue climbing and live-service projects remain a major focus for the company.

Critics say it reflects a broader shift in priorities at PlayStation. Sony seems much more aggressive about growing recurring revenue from PlayStation Plus and live-service experiences than they are in making a giant investment in maintaining older games or expanding access to classic titles. 

There is also a sense that Sony’s current market position is a big factor in these decisions. In the console space, with less competitive pressure, the company feels less inclined to make consumer-friendly moves. For those who’ve been following the industry for years, you’ve probably noticed that many of PlayStation’s biggest customer-focused initiatives came at times when Microsoft represented a much stronger competitive threat.

Many people cite the clearest example: the 2013 console launch period. At the time, Xbox was heavily criticized for its proposed online policies, giving Sony the opportunity to position itself as the more consumer-friendly alternative. 

Today, many observers feel the situation has changed dramatically. 

Both major platform holders are converging increasingly on similar business goals around digital purchases, subscriptions, and long-term engagement, rather than competing on divergent strategies. As a result, there is no obvious competitor pushing in the opposite direction strongly enough to force major changes.

That absence of a true alternative has become one of the biggest frustrations surrounding PlayStation's recent decisions. Without another company offering a significantly different approach, Sony has little incentive to reconsider policies that upset portions of its audience.

The conversation becomes even more interesting when looking at another recent PlayStation release. Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops II are now available on the PlayStation Store, giving players the chance to experience two of the franchise’s most popular titles on newer PlayStation systems. 

The base price has been one of the few aspects receiving some praise. PlayStation Plus subscribers can purchase each game for $19.99, a figure that many consider far more reasonable than it could have been. While some players argue that even $20 is expensive for games of this age, others point out that Sony could easily have launched them at twice that price.

The larger issue lies with the downloadable content. Neither game includes its original season pass with the standard purchase, meaning players who want the complete multiplayer experience must spend additional money. That decision has frustrated many fans because it divides the multiplayer community while charging extra for content released well over a decade ago.

Sony has discounted the season pass to roughly $9.89, but many players still view the original $30 asking price as difficult to justify considering the age of the games. Many players have widely criticized the practice of charging premium DLC prices for titles that launched 14 to 16 years ago, especially when the games themselves are essentially ports. 

That outcome illustrates a larger reality surrounding many of PlayStation's controversies. 

While backlash can seem overwhelming in online discussions, sales figures can tell a different story. Many of the players who criticize Sony’s digital strategy aren’t necessarily the same people buying these releases, so it’s difficult to gauge how much overlap there really is.

If you spend enough time browsing social media, it can feel as though nearly everyone opposes these decisions. Once you step outside those online spaces, however, you quickly discover that many PlayStation owners are unconcerned. Some even support the company's direction, despite arguments that these changes could eventually reduce consumer choice and limit access to older games.

This mismatch between the online clamor and the broader consumer behavior might be the reason Sony seems content to press on with its current strategy. Even if there are millions of players online criticizing the company, that’s only a fraction of the PlayStation audience on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. 

For now, the biggest immediate deadline remains August 31 for Infamous 2 players hoping to secure the game's Platinum Trophy before user-created missions disappear forever. Beyond that, the larger conversation surrounding digital ownership, game preservation, and consumer choice is unlikely to fade anytime soon.