Sony is reportedly phasing out its ‘PlayStation Network’ branding by the end of this year.
Insider Gaming said an internal email sent to developers informed them that the company had “strategically decided” to phase out the terms ‘PlayStation Network’ and ‘PSN’ in order to “properly capture the breadth” of its evolving digital services.
Sony allegedly stressed this was purely a brand change and would not affect the services it provides, such as cloud gaming, multiplayer access, or its free games.
“The upcoming changes are purely visual and will not introduce any technical alterations to our offerings. To simplify and unify branding, the terms ‘PlayStation Network’ and ‘PSN’ will be phased out across all SIE assets by September 2026,” the email said. “All features currently associated with PSN, including core network features such as friends, multiplayer, and trophies, will remain unaffected and available to players. You’ll be notified ahead of changes […] in the fall of 2026.”
The email closed by reminding developers that they will “need to align” with the “branding guidelines to ensure the removal of PSN instances from all future releases, assets, and external service interfaces.”
The report said it was unclear what the network’s new name would be.
The PlayStation Network — which parcels up its online store, subscription service, and social features — was introduced in 2006 alongside the PS3, and its PlayStation Plus service launched in 2010. The name is synonymous with the 2011 PSN Hack, which took the network offline for 24 days after an “external intrusion” compromised the personal details of 77 million players.
The outage not only impacted online games but single-player adventures that required an always-on internet connection, and the unprecedented hack was so far-reaching that governments across the world called for action when it came to light that users’ names, addresses, emails, dates of birth, and PSN names were all compromised.
When PlayStation Network went down for 24 hours in February 2025 — something Sony attributed to an unspecified “operational issue” — some PlayStation customers demanded more transparency, citing the high-profile 2011 data breach.
Photo by Nikos Pekiaridis/NurPhoto via Getty Images.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
