Sony is shutting down its PlayStation MVP program effective on April 18. In an email sent out to MVP members, Sony has praised the community's "enthusiasm in making PlayStation the best place to play," and thanked the users for their participation in the program.

The MVP scheme was designed to give "special-ranking" PlayStation users access to host exclusive game events, create walk-through content for other users, as well as provide product reviews to help the PlayStation community. In return, MVP members received access to betas, invites to E3, free shirts and other goods.

A lot of MVP program members were disappointed about the news, although users say the writing had been on the wall for a while now. Since January, the MVP program has reportedly been in a "state of confusion." MVP members reported that they have not received any communication from Sony for a few months now and that the MVP community's interest has been waning.

"No one really knew what was going on, but we had assumed something would be changing," one NeoGaf member wrote.

Sony has not released any formal statement to explain its decision to shut down the MVP program, but it has confirmed to GameSpot that it's happening on April 18. Whether a new scheme is in the works, only time will tell. The company, however, suggested that it will continue to find ways to involve its PlayStation community in the improvement of Sony products and its digital ecosystem.

Sony has been undergoing a lot of changes recently. In January, the company announced that two of its main corporate divisions, Sony Computer Entertainment and Sony Network Entertainment, will merge into Sony Interactive Entertainment. The company has also closed its first-party developer, Evolution studios, which ran for 17 years and was behind successful franchises like World Rally Championship and MotorStorm.