End of an Era: PlayStation Forums Shutting Down This Month - Blu-ray Forum

Grim Reaper · 02-17-2020, 11:23 PM

https://www.ccn.com/end-of-an-era-pl...wn-this-month/

Sony has announced it is shutting down the official PlayStation Forums on Feb. 27.
From that point on, you’ll have to get your support through official channels.
This is a further sign of forum obsolescence in today’s digital landscape.
Forums used to be pretty important places to internet users. It’s difficult to find anyone who was online in the 90s and 2000s who doesn’t have fond memories of some forum or another. The official PlayStation forums would probably be included in that.

It seems like an era is coming to an end. PlayStation has apparently said it will no longer be supporting the forums. According to one of the community managers, the official PlayStation Forums will be shutting down Feb. 27.

Is this the end of forums as we know them?

Posts on the PlayStation Forums have slowed down a lot lately.

Posts on the PlayStation Forums have slowed down a lot lately. | Source:
PlayStation

PlayStation Forums Became Obsolete

Forums have a long and sordid history. Basically, they started out as a way of communicating over phone lines before the internet was even a thing. Back then, they were known as BBSs (bulletin board systems) and were mainly used by hardcore enthusiasts.

When the internet sprang up, places like PlayStation Forums quickly took off. Forums gave people with specific interests access to like-minded individuals.

The thing is, with modern social networks it’s much easier to find people to have these conversations with. Join a Facebook group or search a Twitter hashtag. Having entire websites, such as the PlayStation Forums, dedicated to a single subject is as clunky as BBS seemed to early forum users.

Verisimilitude1984 · 01-03-2021, 11:32 PM

For me it was always GameFaqs. Back in early 2003 I found it, being a massive Silent Hill 2 fan I was looking forward to Silent Hill 3 and found some good people there. I certainly can see the appeal. Such a shame.

voltz · 02-25-2021, 07:02 AM

I'll never understand what goes into this sort of corporate mentality that aims at the removal of transparency within communities. I remember when IMDB and Sega did this to their forums as well.

khalbrae · 02-26-2021, 04:49 PM

Real shame

Mr. Kopfrkingl · 02-26-2021, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by voltz

I'll never understand what goes into this sort of corporate mentality that aims at the removal of transparency within communities. I remember when IMDB and Sega did this to their forums as well.

Can't have the truth affecting profits.

IMDb claimed to have closed down their boards because of unruly behavior... but that's nothing assigning user mods to the boards couldn't have fixed.

The real reason was that Amazon (their parent company) was producing original content TV series and films and didn't want their own productions negatively critiqued.

Eidolon · 02-28-2021, 02:05 PM

I didn't know they even still existed. My old forum bookmarks came up dead for ages. Searching for UK based PS forums returned nothing. Stinks all the same.

It'll be shutting down ps3 game downloads next

voltz · 03-07-2021, 05:37 AM

I see that in addition Sony is currently working on a PS4 firmware update that kills the community functions. Sad to see they're going anti-consumer at this stage. Censorship of some titles isn't enough, now we must lose most of our social attachments as well...

Eidolon · 04-16-2021, 07:13 PM

Communities have gone now. Thisis a bit of a kick in the head, as they were the only useful way of arranging online gaming for those games with lesser activity. That way we could get an idea as to when people were planning to go online. That way it was possible, if lucky, to play the F13 game without just two councillors for example. It's going to be more difficult now.

02-17-2020, 11:23 PM	#1
Grim Reaper Blu-ray Duke Top contributor Member since:Jun 2006 Location:Let Me In! 4K collection:415 Blu-ray collection:1875 DVD collection:25 Trading Score:13	End of an Era: PlayStation Forums Shutting Down This Month https://www.ccn.com/end-of-an-era-pl...wn-this-month/ Sony has announced it is shutting down the official PlayStation Forums on Feb. 27. From that point on, you’ll have to get your support through official channels. This is a further sign of forum obsolescence in today’s digital landscape. Forums used to be pretty important places to internet users. It’s difficult to find anyone who was online in the 90s and 2000s who doesn’t have fond memories of some forum or another. The official PlayStation forums would probably be included in that. It seems like an era is coming to an end. PlayStation has apparently said it will no longer be supporting the forums. According to one of the community managers, the official PlayStation Forums will be shutting down Feb. 27. Is this the end of forums as we know them? Posts on the PlayStation Forums have slowed down a lot lately. Posts on the PlayStation Forums have slowed down a lot lately. \| Source: PlayStation PlayStation Forums Became Obsolete Forums have a long and sordid history. Basically, they started out as a way of communicating over phone lines before the internet was even a thing. Back then, they were known as BBSs (bulletin board systems) and were mainly used by hardcore enthusiasts. When the internet sprang up, places like PlayStation Forums quickly took off. Forums gave people with specific interests access to like-minded individuals. The thing is, with modern social networks it’s much easier to find people to have these conversations with. Join a Facebook group or search a Twitter hashtag. Having entire websites, such as the PlayStation Forums, dedicated to a single subject is as clunky as BBS seemed to early forum users.

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01-03-2021, 11:32 PM	#2
Verisimilitude1984 Special Member Member since:Dec 2015 Location:London 4K collection:36 Blu-ray collection:83	For me it was always GameFaqs. Back in early 2003 I found it, being a massive Silent Hill 2 fan I was looking forward to Silent Hill 3 and found some good people there. I certainly can see the appeal. Such a shame.

02-25-2021, 07:02 AM	#3
voltz Expert Member Member since:Dec 2012	I'll never understand what goes into this sort of corporate mentality that aims at the removal of transparency within communities. I remember when IMDB and Sega did this to their forums as well.

02-26-2021, 04:49 PM	#4
khalbrae Expert Member Top contributor Member since:Dec 2020 4K collection:24 Blu-ray collection:1429 DVD collection:863 Digital collection:621 iTunes collection:178 Trading Score:34	Real shame

02-28-2021, 02:05 PM	#6
Eidolon Special Member Top contributor Member since:Aug 2009 4K collection:5 Blu-ray collection:925	I didn't know they even still existed. My old forum bookmarks came up dead for ages. Searching for UK based PS forums returned nothing. Stinks all the same. It'll be shutting down ps3 game downloads next

03-07-2021, 05:37 AM	#7
voltz Expert Member Member since:Dec 2012	I see that in addition Sony is currently working on a PS4 firmware update that kills the community functions. Sad to see they're going anti-consumer at this stage. Censorship of some titles isn't enough, now we must lose most of our social attachments as well...

04-16-2021, 07:13 PM	#8
Eidolon Special Member Top contributor Member since:Aug 2009 4K collection:5 Blu-ray collection:925	Communities have gone now. Thisis a bit of a kick in the head, as they were the only useful way of arranging online gaming for those games with lesser activity. That way we could get an idea as to when people were planning to go online. That way it was possible, if lucky, to play the F13 game without just two councillors for example. It's going to be more difficult now.

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