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Metreon PlayStation store closing

Onetime Sony-owned shopping complex in San Francisco will part ways with electronics company's only gaming-focused retail outlet this summer.

San Francisco's Metreon Shopping Center has been an iconic destination for PlayStation gamers since Sony cut the ribbon on the sprawling 350,000-square-foot complex in June 1999. That fact remained even after Sony sold off its interest in the shopping outlet to the Westfield Group and Forest City Enterprises in 2006, thanks to its cornerstone PlayStation and Sony Style stores.

The only one of its kind, the Metreon PlayStation store has been Sony's home base on the West Coast for product launches of its flagship gaming hardware, including the PlayStation 2, PSP, and PlayStation 3. Soon, however, Sony's last foothold at the Metreon will be released, as the Japanese electronics company plans to let the leases expire on both its PlayStation Store and Sony Style stores in the mall.

"Our lease with the Metreon for the PlayStation Store will expire this summer and we have chosen not to renew it," a Sony representative confirmed for GameSpot. "While we are always looking at new avenues for additional retail exposure and space, we felt it best not to continue with a dedicated PlayStation Store at the Metreon at this time." According to Metreon management, the Sony Style store's lease will expire on March 31.

Though the Metreon store is the only PlayStation-specific outlet operated by Sony, the company maintains a healthy number of Sony Style stores at many other shopping centers throughout the US. In addition to PlayStation machines, Sony Style stores offer a host of Sony products, ranging from Bravia TVs to Vaio computers to the Sony Reader Digital Book.

As was the case when Sony first opened the complex, the Westfield Metreon still operates as an adult playground of sorts, playing home to 15 stadium-style movie theaters, an IMAX theater, an arcade, restaurants, and a variety of shops. Metreon management did not comment on future prospects for the soon-to-be-vacated stores.

46 Comments

  • smliquid

    Posted Nov 28, 2009 7:14 pm GMT

    NO WTF! This is horrible news. I loved that place. I need to go back to CA . such a shame. For those who have not been there, it is an amazing place. Whether you have a PS3 or not, if you like video games, you should visit the store before it closes.

  • atwaxin

    Posted Mar 22, 2009 12:39 pm GMT

    thats where i bought my ps3 1 year ago in december...it was beautiful..all bundled up there...thats where i bought 'the orange box' and 'warhawk' but then i sold both of those games later on jajaja but good times. will miss the place. must send my cousin to go there and take pictures for me jajaja

  • DiscGuru101

    Posted Mar 19, 2009 11:37 pm GMT

    The Metreon was one of the coolest things Sony ever did... I'm glad I got to enjoy it before it came to this.

  • flawless_blade posted Mar 19, 2009 8:34 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    flawless_blade

    Posted Mar 19, 2009 8:34 pm GMT (hide)

    And thus the fall of Sony began...

  • Mejikojin

    Posted Mar 19, 2009 7:02 pm GMT

    Sony are such DB's

  • ninja_where

    Posted Mar 19, 2009 2:31 pm GMT

    Now I'll never be able to go and shop there...*sob*

  • dbzfalcon07

    Posted Mar 19, 2009 10:50 am GMT

    Wow, that's where I met Hideo Kojima. Once in a lifetime

  • bakagami

    Posted Feb 18, 2009 8:13 pm GMT

    I live 2 blocks away from the Metreon/Playstation store in SF, & I can tell u that this isn't good news. Now the only choices for Playstation products will b Ebgames or Best Buy who only keep things in stock when they feel like it. Most likely the reason for the closure is the economy & the overhead. Since Sony no longer owns the Metreon then the rent in that building would b insane & the venture is prolly losing money. I'm gonna miss the place tho, I buy most of my PSP games there

  • TehUndeadHorror

    Posted Feb 18, 2009 1:26 am GMT

    Awww that's sad.

  • BtmnHatesRbn posted Feb 17, 2009 3:26 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    BtmnHatesRbn

    Posted Feb 17, 2009 3:26 pm GMT (hide)

    If nobody has nothing nice to write, don't post anything at all.

    Of course, Sony (Standard Oil of New York) had this coming to them, with all of the dishonesty in all of their products, and the worst games ever to be made for a gaming console. But I don't have media-influenced rose-tinted glasses to look through, as I worked at a gaming store as product-buyer, and I never dealt with a more Nazi company than Sony when it came time to buy more product.

  • necronaux

    Posted Feb 17, 2009 10:39 am GMT

    Microsoft take note: It's not the right time to open a MS-only store.

  • ahpuck posted Feb 16, 2009 10:21 am GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    ahpuck

    Posted Feb 16, 2009 10:21 am GMT (hide)

    I remember that place, i went to see a movie there when i visited San Fran. a few years back. the day ps3 goes out of business(not going to happen) is the day i stop playing video games. no way in hell i'll ever join micro&soft. then again, i can always get a Wii.

  • SalarianChemist

    Posted Feb 15, 2009 9:39 pm GMT

    The fact that most people would be talking about games that were not playable on the Playstation 3 most of the time was really insulting to Sony. I think that this embarrassment might have been one of the reasons why Sony chose not to renew the lease. Having people ask about the Wii and the Xbox 360 more than the PS3 was really disapointing for Sony.

  • ihatespam04

    Posted Feb 15, 2009 5:40 pm GMT

    It's sad going there now. I went during Macworld and saw more and more empty spaces where stores used to be. It's all but a tomb, and with this economy, don't expect it to get better for a couple of years. It's a shame since it was really a nice building.

  • kavadias1981

    Posted Feb 15, 2009 11:16 am GMT

    That place sounds like it was great. I wish there was one here in the UK. Its a shame when stuff like this happens to a company you like so much.

  • XeonForce

    Posted Feb 14, 2009 10:36 pm GMT

    So many close-minded comments on here. I don't care who it is, this is a loss of something unique, which is only going to adversely affect decisions to do cool and unique things in the future. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of cookie-cutter $#!1... -_-' show some respect.

  • JpnFfantasy

    Posted Feb 14, 2009 9:58 pm GMT

    It was a pleasure working there for the past 18 months. I resign in 2 days. It was fun . Would of stayed till the end, but I think I made the right choice.

  • lanmanna

    Posted Feb 14, 2009 9:26 pm GMT

    Wow! Didn't even know about this place until this article. O_O
    Sad that I never got to go. Although, I am running in a marathon for leukemia in San Diego for all the people I know that had or have it. How far is San Diego from San Francisco? Thanks.

  • puppiemaster

    Posted Feb 14, 2009 4:33 pm GMT

    I live in the UK and even I've traveled there, it was great, not as good as Tokyo, but very good indeed.

  • SFG_basic

    Posted Feb 14, 2009 3:04 pm GMT

    Well, this is just sad. My main reason for even going to the Metreon is gone. And I was looking forward to some launch events for Killzone 2 and Uncharted 2. Oh well, maybe Microsoft can open one of their stores there.

  • xaos

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 7:47 pm GMT

    redskin, yeah they are, I was told about it in the store yesterday...

  • redskinStu

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 7:14 pm GMT

    The store's not closing. This guy doesn't know what he's talking about.

  • Musashi920

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 4:31 pm GMT

    @ubermensche: Best Buy's I could understand but not Wal-Marts...

    Well brand specific stores are good if you are looking to shop for something from a particular brand. you find more things at their stores than you would in a retail stores where they only carry maybe their latest 3models. you could find old ones at those stores.

  • Ubermensche

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 3:54 pm GMT

    Sony's failings? Just about every company needs to make cuts. I never really understood why companies have brand specific stores. In an age of Best Buy's and Wal-Marts, you would think that they are completely unnecessary. Most brand specific stores do not last.

  • GameFreak523

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 3:51 pm GMT

    O.O ....Now this is just wrong.

  • Storm_Marine

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 3:35 pm GMT

    You live up to your name 'Xbot360'.

  • Xbot360 posted Feb 13, 2009 3:24 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Xbot360

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 3:24 pm GMT (hide)

    love hearing sony's failures. Good job sony, keep it going, woooooooooh.

  • slipknot61174

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 3:04 pm GMT

    This is truly a sad day for gamers everywhere... Seriously, the Sony store was part of what made the Metreon such a cool place. *sniff* Man, I got my first PSP there...

  • Kaneada

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 3:01 pm GMT

    I have to agree it would be awesome to see Sega re-enter the console market, but that is a long way, if ever, from happening.

    With this store closing I do have to iterate a point that I read below that Sony could be in dire straights and as a result the gaming industry could suffer.

    If this were the previous generation, Sony running third would be no big deal, but in this generation we got some serious issues. The competition really needs to be high at all times to ensure a place in the industry not only to promote the best quality products, but for the sake of the gamer as well.

  • ninja_where

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 2:42 pm GMT

    Don't worry, Sony, there's plenty of fish in the sea. And I'm sure there's plenty of places to go to. But take your time...it's too soon to act with a problem in hand. But anyways, hopefully we get to see a store in the East Coast. Not that I'm being such a wisher here, just thinking. But that's one historic video game landmark done. Even though there will be a new one, we'll miss the good ol' days when Sony was so good at it. They're still good, but not as good as they were before...

  • thedarkpp

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 2:41 pm GMT

    I was just there a couple days ago and there were a ton of people there. Sad to see it go.

  • living_wmd_888

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 2:28 pm GMT

    @joporter:

    I miss the glory days of the PS1 myself, and that is the era from which the Metreon hails. I'll admit that action games were a bit lacking, but it was one big huge RPG-fest back then. Half of the games I bought back in the day came from Square, with a few from Capcom, Namco, Enix. The PS1 was almost like a ubiquitous appliance, something that was as much a part of your home as your TV or VCR. I enjoyed the PS2, but it never quite recaptured that, and I would have liked it a lot less if I hadn't been able to keep playing my PS1 favorites on it.

  • VERTIGO47

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 2:19 pm GMT

    That's pretty sad. Not that I'm extremely concerned since I live all the way back east, NYC, to be specific. And I've always wanted to visit the Metreon whenever I visit relatives in Cali. I guess I better make a surpise visit to my cousins soon. However, because of the gloom economy, I'm not surprised. Plus, Sony aren't what they used to be with PS1 and PS2. And a lagging PS3 sales don't do much justice either. Not that PS3 is dying. But the conditions right now have heavily contributed to this dilemma.

  • blackace

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 2:11 pm GMT

    LindBergh2007

    I see Sony leaving the hardware market soon and being replaced by Sega.
    *****************************************************
    Your crystal ball is broken. I don't see that happening anytime soon. SEGA couldn't afford to start another game console. Sega/Sammy has already gone through their own hard times. --> http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/sega-sammy-to-drop-560-jobs

    Even though Sony isn't fairing too well their generation, I don't see them leaving the gaming indusctry anytime soon. They still have a good brand and a decent presence in the gaming business.

  • jporter313 GameSpot staff member

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 1:56 pm GMT

    @living_wmd_888:

    I totally agree with you. I fondly remember Sony's PS2 glory days at that store, I remember buying games there when I was in college, and even though I haven't visited it in a while, I'll miss it now that it's gone.

  • xcollector

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 1:36 pm GMT

    It isn't surprising. The PS1 & PS2 were very successful and the economy was better then too, thus having a store dedicated to Playstation brand merchandises yielded profit. Now the economy is down and the Playstation brand isn't what it use to be so go figure.

  • living_wmd_888

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 1:28 pm GMT

    Sad.... I remember when Sony opened the PlayStation Store all those years ago. Back then, they were at the top of their game and could do no wrong, it seemed. With the PS3, they let their hubris trip them up the same way Nintendo messed up in the mid-90's, when it was riding high on the success of the SNES and the N64 was already being picked as the winner of its generation.

    Plus, having a super-deluxe store like this doesn't make much financial sense when the economy as a whole is still imploding.

    I feel so pessimistic about this world right now.

  • Lucidmike78

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 1:23 pm GMT

    Unfortunately Sony never made full use of the Metreon. It always felt more like a Sam Goody's on the bottom with Sony stuff only, and off the wall stuff for the rest of the building. This makes sense to save money.

  • titanviper2000

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 1:17 pm GMT

    okay fanboys, let's get something straight right now. loss of competition is a bad thing. everyone thought that when circuit city went out of business, that it would be the best thing for best buy. well, fact of the matter is, competition breeds good service, which also breeds good products. i don't care if it's circuit city, or sony, any company in economic trouble is not a laughing matter, and anyone who thinks so, needs to lose their job and see what a harsh economy is really like. so seriously, think before you post.

  • smbius

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 1:16 pm GMT

    This is sad. When I lived close to the city, I used to visit this store right before my movie would start. I was one of those in line for the PS2 and PS3. Great memories. See my videos.

  • vietboi89 posted Feb 13, 2009 1:03 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    vietboi89

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 1:03 pm GMT (hide)

    sony is losing the competition its almost sad... almost

  • LindBergh2007 posted Feb 13, 2009 12:48 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    LindBergh2007

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 12:48 pm GMT (hide)

    I see Sony leaving the hardware market soon and being replaced by Sega.

  • atopp399 posted Feb 13, 2009 12:48 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    atopp399

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 12:48 pm GMT (hide)

    That other Gamespot article did mention a Microsoft Store soon to be opening. I think we may have found a perfect location for a grand opening

  • blackace

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 12:45 pm GMT

    Not surprising after the loss in profits Sony posted for the year. Sony is trying to save money the best they can right now. Whether it's laying off workers or closing Sony specific stores. Sony has to do whatever it can to survive right now. I guess that PS3 price drop may not happen until the fall if this is any indication. It's sad that i never got a chance to visit that store. Oh well.

  • THE_WHITE_MAGE posted Feb 13, 2009 12:42 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    THE_WHITE_MAGE

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 12:42 pm GMT (hide)

    It would be hilarious if Nintendo leased this space just to stick it to Sony that they are taking their place.

  • Samox posted Feb 13, 2009 12:27 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Samox

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 12:27 pm GMT (hide)

    Good.

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