PlayStation Network user base hits 25 million

Final Fantasy VII summoned 100,000 times in first two weeks; Wild Arms 2, Mobile Light Force hitting downloadable PSOne catalog this summer.

In the midst of its massive E3 media briefing earlier this month, Sony said its PlayStation Network service had reached a user base of 24 million. The free online service for the PlayStation 3 and PSP has continued to grow, and the electronics giant today confirmed that PSN membership had surpassed the 25-million mark.

Fun fact: Mobile Light Force can be abbreviated to MLF.

Those members have been busy using the service as well. Sony boasted that PSN has served up more than 500 million downloads worldwide since its inception. That number is split between the service's catalog of content for 200 games, 1,900 movies, and 9,000 TV shows and original programming.

Sony also touted its catalog of downloadable original PlayStation games for the PS3 and PSP, noting that Square Enix's classic role-playing game Final Fantasy VII was downloaded 100,000 times in its first two weeks of rerelease on PSN. The RPG was the most downloaded game on PSN for the week ending June 17, but it will have more competition on the service soon.

Sony confirmed that original PlayStation games such as Wild Arms 2, Mobile Light Force (a US conversion of Capcom's Gunbird shooter series), and Spec Ops: Stealth Patrol will all see release on the service this summer. Sony's catalog of PSN offerings is poised to expand significantly in the future with the downloadable-only PSP Go set for release on October 1.

291 Comments

  • ffviiifreak

    Posted Nov 9, 2009 9:54 am PT

    I prefered kotaku's headline of 100,000 new Aerith's deaths over it being summoned.

  • Rammaster2

    Posted Jul 23, 2009 6:16 am PT

    Sweet I can play FF7 on mah PSP!

  • Fox-sama

    Posted Jul 16, 2009 4:53 am PT

    I would download Final Fantasy VII, if I didn't already have the copy I bought back in '98.

  • Temmex

    Posted Jun 28, 2009 10:37 pm PT

    Shox, you happened to prove the point that you might as well get a PS3 because they are technically the same price when you consider online (for a certain amount of time that is, after a while though the 360 is more expensive), and you don't have to worry about your console crapping out. (Own all three systems only play on PSN)

  • FlamingFury

    Posted Jun 28, 2009 9:32 pm PT

    It sucks in Australia, we don't have any movies or TV series on it.

    Damn copyright laws. It doesn't stop people just watching them online though.

  • Shox14

    Posted Jun 28, 2009 3:50 pm PT

    Temmex, considering the price difference in the PS3 and the 360, it doesn't make THAT much a difference, although, yes, I'd much rather pay nothing at all than 'just' 10 cents a day.

  • Gum_Horror

    Posted Jun 27, 2009 11:29 am PT

    hopefully squareenix will release FF8 & 9 and Xenogears

  • Temmex

    Posted Jun 27, 2009 11:27 am PT

    Andrew_LL, but that is still 10 cents more per day than someone on the PSN has to pay for the same thing, and if you have had it since the 360 came out, thats about 200 dollars.

  • yummyjibblybits

    Posted Jun 27, 2009 1:39 am PT

    Wahoo im proud to say im one of the 100,000 who downloaded FF7 and havnt looked back...still one of the greatest games to date!!

  • Andrew_LL

    Posted Jun 26, 2009 10:19 pm PT

    wars45, 40 dollars a year averages to 3.3 dollars a month, which is roughly 10 cents a day.

  • wars45

    Posted Jun 26, 2009 3:56 pm PT

    good my mate got a 360 and pays 40 for xboxlive yet i got a ps3 and pay noffing .i played cALL 4 ON XBOX LIVE and iv played it on psn and i couldnt tell the defference. .apart from him haveing to pay 40 a y

  • brendanhunt1

    Posted Jun 26, 2009 3:46 pm PT

    i would of thought more seeing all the psp and ps3 sold, about 70 million

  • phinsfan

    Posted Jun 26, 2009 2:40 pm PT

    I'm not getting that screwed-up shell of Gunbird. No way, no how. There isn't even ANY women in the entire game. It's a shooter, no Charlie's Angels clones involved.

  • alkaline_DnB

    Posted Jun 26, 2009 2:29 pm PT

    i have 2 accounts as well...both were FREE, by the way.

  • jeffokiecorry2

    Posted Jun 26, 2009 1:48 pm PT

    @ ernest-young
    You are forgetting about sole PSP owners. They can download PSP and PS1 games straight to their console without a PS3. I am one of the PSP (and a 360, and a Wii) owners with a PSN account with no PS3...yet.

  • OmegaGear

    Posted Jun 26, 2009 1:28 pm PT

    Everyone is so quick to judge and compare numbers on something so trivial. It's not like the number of PSN or XBL accounts, unique or otherwise, is going to impact your quality of life in any way.

  • Temmex

    Posted Jun 26, 2009 12:53 pm PT

    i seriously can't believe that people come on here and say that PSN is worse than XBL. I have been on both and there is not difference when playing online with the exception that PSN has less whinny 12 year olds, I never have problems finding games or with lag (there is not more lag on PSN than on XBL, possibly even less on PSN). And the PSN store is a hundred times better and easier to use. Way more interesting things and it looks better, XBL fans shouldn't talk until they have seen both sides. Just to get it out of the way now, yes I have seen both stores and played online games numerous times on both PSN and XBL.

  • BigBacon87

    Posted Jun 26, 2009 11:22 am PT

    @Yuck Too

    I was speaking about the 360's reliability as a system, I never mentioned generation 1 PS2's and I agree its bunk what happened there, although I was in school when they came out and never bought one. That being said the PS2 got fixed, my slim still runs fine. So far no dice for the 360. They are cheap anyways you get what you pay for so you can always buy another for 200 that wasnt my point. My point was all the extras MS milks you for (battery packs, chargers, xboxlive, wireless connection, etc etc). Uneducated buyers get burned and some try to justify it all by throwing their unnecessary two cents in here under a Sony article. Can't you all just stay on your own side of the fence? I know its covered in sh *t over there and its much much nicer over here, but until you purchase a PS3 (for most of you don't worry it will happen) your not needed. By the way Yuck Too, you spelt warranty wrong.

  • izdan

    Posted Jun 26, 2009 9:55 am PT

    i wish i had a ps3 to download final fantasy 7 but for now i will just play the original on my ps2 but it would be cool to be able to play it on a ps3 and it would be even better if they remade it with updated graphics graphics

  • EYE0NE

    Posted Jun 26, 2009 6:16 am PT

    Ok, I just have to say this. I get really annoyed at the PSN vs. XBL debate. Specifically PS3 fans complaining about the fee to play on XBL. Seriously guys it comes out to $3.30 a month. That's pennies. Granted I'm college graduate with a job but come on, are we really complaining over $3? I never hear XBL players complain about it just PS3 guys who don't pay for it anyway. Which I find odd. And frankly to play Halo3, Left 4 Dead, COD4, and Gears of War 2 online with my friends I'd pay much more for it. That being said I'm sure that PSN works well but probably isn't as feature packed as XBL. And don't call me a fan boy, I think Xbox360 is better but I'm buying a PS3 soon.

  • krelmmaster

    Posted Jun 26, 2009 1:12 am PT

    25 Million? Not bad, but of course, it is only because it is free. I don't think anyone with a brain would want to pay for PSN. Let us hope that these positive figures for FFVII sparks up some interest over at Square for a remake I can dream....

  • HerbalVideogame

    Posted Jun 25, 2009 11:13 pm PT

    Final Fantasy VIII is better than Final Fantasy VII. ;P

  • ernest-young

    Posted Jun 25, 2009 10:33 pm PT

    That explains it all. I thought it was Casper the friendly ghost and his friends filling up the 3 million pieces of the puzzle.

  • Stain

    Posted Jun 25, 2009 10:22 pm PT

    Remember, ernest-young, the 25 million is for PS3 and PSP users on PlayStation Network, not just PS3 users

  • ernest-young

    Posted Jun 25, 2009 10:07 pm PT

    Where the heck did 25 million people come from. I thought the PS3 only sold 22 million consoles worldwide acording to VGChartz. Where the other 3 mil come from? You mean to tell me that every person that owns a PS3 plus 3 million ghosts or pink elephants brought this game? I'm shocked see: --__--

  • Kyran87

    Posted Jun 25, 2009 7:24 pm PT

    I would've been more excited if they had put "unique users"...

  • lilmp89

    Posted Jun 25, 2009 4:57 pm PT

    "Fun fact: Mobile Light Force can be abbreviated to MLF." lawl

    The PSOne classics is awesome. Being able to play old console games on the go. Just great!

  • Archmede

    Posted Jun 25, 2009 4:16 pm PT

    wow 25 million, thats nothing compared to the population!

  • RaiKageRyu

    Posted Jun 25, 2009 3:34 pm PT

    Maybe they should have made the title "Mobile International Light Force" instead then?

  • shentonio

    Posted Jun 25, 2009 2:17 pm PT

    Yeah loving PSN, downloaded FF7 as soon as it came out! Got it stored on my PS3 hardrive and my PSP, ,ostly play it on my PSP though. The PSONE classics is a good idea, as long as they're all top quality games of course.

  • Meises

    Posted Jun 25, 2009 1:47 pm PT

    Yay! More people to play with Bring it on new comers

  • brendanhunt1

    Posted Jun 25, 2009 1:37 pm PT

    500 million downloads impressive. so $0.16 per gigabyte....

  • izmickey

    Posted Jun 25, 2009 1:32 pm PT

    This is a ps3 artical, its funny how xbox fan boys come here and give thumbs down to people. Go on xbl or play halo but leave these people be. Wonder how many thumbs down im gonna get.

  • dye2010

    Posted Jun 25, 2009 12:36 pm PT

    @ HerbalVideogame
    Are you saying i could have been playing a 360 in 1990 when i was playing a mega drive?

  • maxsteel86

    Posted Jun 25, 2009 9:34 am PT

    @Sin-Thesis
    Have you tried switching to openDNS? Worked wonders for me
    I agree with CamiKitten on Parasite Eve. As I recall, it was never released in the UK (PE2 was but not the first one...)

  • lanmanna

    Posted Jun 25, 2009 9:20 am PT

    I have about 3 accounts. Just saying...

  • CamiKitten

    Posted Jun 25, 2009 9:06 am PT

    FFVII and now Wild Arms? Sweet! Gonna keep my eyes on this in hopes of seeing Parasite Eve also!

  • flyingteddy

    Posted Jun 25, 2009 8:07 am PT

    wild arms nice one!

  • aaaaaa12

    Posted Jun 25, 2009 2:46 am PT

    just finished downloading FF VII and playing on my PSP now
    keep it coming sony! xD

  • Sin-Thesis

    Posted Jun 25, 2009 2:30 am PT

    stupid DNS error, ive tried every fix i can find, havent been on psn in months

    i totally gotta dl FF7 though

  • robCROW75

    Posted Jun 24, 2009 10:20 pm PT

    I like players on PSN better than XBL. But I got friends on both platforms. An interesting side note is that PSN handles text chat better than XBL which works 4 me cause I hate using my headsets. U almost have to use an HS on XBL which opens the door to all kinds of crap that I find.... annoying

  • parrot_of_adun

    Posted Jun 24, 2009 10:00 pm PT

    Just got a PS3 and I think I can safely say I enjoy using PSN alot more than XBL (which I've been using for years). Especially when you compare the Playstation store to XBLM. After that "NXE" crap replaced the old UI, I just can't stand any aspect of XBL at this point.

  • vboydjr

    Posted Jun 24, 2009 9:03 pm PT

    I was expecting to see more Micro$oft fanboys on here saying how it doesn't matter because Live is better.

    I have 2 PSN accounts myself. I play a lot of online games on my PS3 and honestly there is a difference in players but I never go without finding anyone to play with.

  • HerbalVideogame

    Posted Jun 24, 2009 5:29 pm PT

    Well, when you think about, the average Xbox 360 owner has bought at least two of them, if not 3 or 4. And that's well above the cost of a PS3... The prowess of the Xbox 360 certainly does show how un-intelligent the US of A has become. Let's go by a system that is going to break, has decades old technology, and an online mask we have to pay for! Yeah, let's!

  • Shtinky

    Posted Jun 24, 2009 5:27 pm PT

    I have 2 PSN accounts, and I don't own a PS3, I made them to browse the PSP stores (EU and US), I've never played online using the accounts nor have I actually bought anything. Just sayin'...

  • alkaline_DnB

    Posted Jun 24, 2009 3:54 pm PT

    lovin' the positive ps3 news gamespot has been showing lately. end of "teh bias" era?
    i was glancing thru the ps1ne catalog the other day and some of the games are pretty good, namely FF7 and metal gear solid...i'd probably buy them if i didn't already own the originals. the other catalog of games on the ps3 are also quite impressive...i really like the free playstation network.

  • BlackBaldwin

    Posted Jun 24, 2009 3:51 pm PT

    I have to agree with JimmyBurrows, It took sony way too long to jump on the ban wagon to release old ps1 games. Also happyly hearing this news makes me hope for a release of parasite eve and parasite eve 2 in the future for download...

  • mhatter106

    Posted Jun 24, 2009 2:52 pm PT

    One thing I do like about PSN, and maybe this isn't accurate and it's just my perception of it, but it seems like PSN has a more mature user base than Live's. I find a lot fewer little kids and profane idiots online on the ps3. (Granted, psn has its share of those too, though.) My theory is that it's actually attributable to the ps3's higher price. Parents and younger gamers with less disposable income may tend towards the cheaper 360. Just a thought.

  • Raykuza

    Posted Jun 24, 2009 1:57 pm PT

    @another_drew
    The PS3 has had in-game XMB for months now. You don't have to quit games to send messages anymore. Also, you are paying almost twice what some other people pay? Are you serious? You are getting ripped off big time.

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