Sony might finally be implementing the ability to change username on PlayStation

Original members of PlayStation Network have put up with their online moniker for twelve years, unfortunately unable to make alterations regardless of how relevant the in-game name is nowadays. It looks like this might be about to change, however, as multiplayer game developers are reportedly preparing for the feature to finally debut.

Most services, including Microsoft’s Xbox Live rely on a universally unique identifier to link to an account, however Sony attempted to streamline the service by chaining an account to the username instead. Sadly, this meant that the ability to change one’s username wasn’t present on PlayStation Network despite becoming a mainstay feature in the online sector.

While the caveat was debatably forgivable when PSN was free in comparison to Microsoft’s paid service, its transition into a subscription service made this a particularly bizarre limitation. Fortunately, Sony looks like it is gearing up to finally overhaul its system as four anonymous sources from different developers speak with Kotaku about their preparation for the feature.

Three of the developers stated that many studios are in the midst of ironing out bugs to ensure compatibility with multiplayer games. A fourth source went as far as to share a photo of internal documentation, revealing instructions for the option to “edit username,” however the publication is keeping this under wraps for the time being.

Without official confirmation from Sony, there is no current window of release, however Sony boss Shawn Layden has stated that he hopes requests for the feature won’t persist by 2018’s PlayStation Experience (PSX), which would have fallen in December. There is also no word on whether or not the service will cost, considering Xbox Live charges users $8 per change after the first free alteration.

KitGuru Says: This is a change I hope to make use of, given that my original online moniker was rejected despite being available and within Sony’s guidelines. Do you have a name you wish to change to when the feature finally lands?

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