Sony Computer Entertainment reportedly has said that it had ceased production of its legendary PlayStation 2 video game console and would gradually cease to sell the system globally. Late last year the company discontinued sales of the PS2 in Japan, it now looks like the console will become unavailable on other markets as well.

Sony last week told The Guardian news-paper that after twelve years on the market, all PS2 production has ended worldwide. Late in December the company only ceased sales of the most successful home game machine of all time on its home market in Japan, but said nothing about other countries and regions. For example, PS2 is still popular in Latin America, a market that Sony Computer Entertainment entered just several years back.

It is unclear how many PlayStation 2 units have left in Sony’s global stock and how soon they are going to become unavailable in Europe and the U.S. Still, considering that Sony’s next-generation PlayStation seems to be near, it is time for PlayStation 2 to retire.

Sony PlayStation 2 was launched on March 4, 2000, and succeeded the highly successful PlayStation console, which was released back in 1994. Sony PS2 helped to drive DVD standard onto the mass market and also opened doors to various popular game franchises, such as Grand Theft Auto.

The PS2 has undergone eighteen major revisions, some only of internal construction and others involving substantial external changes. In general, there were two PlayStation 2 designs: the original one and the slimline one.

Sony has sold over 153 million PlayStation 2 game consoles worldwide to date.

Tags: Sony, Playstation