Sony announces end of Vita GameCard production
Production of physical Vita games will cease by end of March 2019
Six years after the console's release, Sony is ending production of physical Vita games.
In a message to developers seen by Kotaku, Sony's US and European arms "plan to end all Vita GameCard production by close of fiscal year 2018".
Sony's 2018 fiscal year will end on March 31, 2019; all Vita product code requests must be submitted by June 28, 2018, and final purchase orders by February 15, 2019.
With estimated sales figures of between 10 million and 15 million units -- compared to roughly 72 million Nintendo 3DS sales -- the Vita failed to capture the handheld boom before the proliferation of high-end smartphones and tablets.
Although digital distribution will continue as normal, the decision could mark the beginning of the end for the Vita which has lived in the shadow of the 3DS since launch.