The first game from Embark Studios, the live-service shooter The Finals, will be shutting down on PlayStation 4 come Wednesday, March 18. Sony’s PlayStation 4 console is one of the most popular video game consoles ever made, and so it’s no surprise that it still gets support even a staggering 13 years after its original launch. There are many live-service games that remain playable on the PS4, though that could change in the months ahead.
Reports have indicated that various live-service games are shutting down their PS4 versions this year. Beyond that, Sony itself has said that it’s going to stop prioritizing PS4 games on PS Plus this year as well. Clearly, the time of the PS4 is winding down. Soon, yet another game will be shuttering it PS4 version, which is yet another step to the console becoming obsolete in the face of the PlayStation 5 and other modern gaming hardware.
It’s the End of an Era for the PS4
The PlayStation 4 is nearly 12 years old at this point, and it’s now the end of an era for the hit home console.
Late last year, Embark Studios confirmed that The Finals on PS4 would be shutting down on March 18, 2026, with the start of Season 10. From that point forward, anyone that wants to keep playing The Finals will need to do so on another platform, whether that be PC, PS5, or Xbox. Luckily, The Finals progress and purchases are stored in one’s Embark ID, so PS4 players moving to a new console won’t have to start from scratch. It’s still inconvenient, but with the PlayStation 5 going on six years old at this point, it’s really not surprising that live-service games for the PS4 are being shut down.
When is The Finals on PS4 Shutting Down?
For those who may be unfamiliar with The Finals, it was the first release from Embark Studios, best known nowadays for being the company behind the extremely popular extraction shooter game ARC Raiders. The Finals released in 2023 and was quite popular at first, mainly thanks to its over-the-top presentation and focus on destructible environments. Interest in The Finals has waned significantly since its peak, but the game still gets regular content updates and has a dedicated fanbase. There will undoubtedly be PS4 players sad to see The Finals being shut down, but at least the game will still live on elsewhere.
PlayStation 6 is Right Around the Corner
The Finals won’t be the last live-service PS4 game that’s shut down. The fact of the matter is that the live-service games that started on PS4 and still support the console are being held back by the outdated hardware. Considering this, it’s highly likely that many more live-service titles will ditch their PS4 versions within the next few years.
After all, we are almost two console generations ahead of the PS4 at this point. The latest reports suggest that Sony’s PlayStation 6 console will release in 2027 or 2028. If those reports are accurate, the PS4 is about to become even more outdated, and one really can’t blame game developers for wanting to move on and focus on the latest hardware.
For now, though, all PS4 gamers need to worry about is The Finals shutting down on March 18. Anyone interested in playing The Finals on PS4 will want to make sure that they get their final games in between now and March 18, when Season 10 kicks off. And any PS4 gamers that want to keep playing The Finals after that date will need to move on to another platform.
- Released
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December 8, 2023
- ESRB
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T For Teen Due To Violence
