PlayStation Network back online fully around May 31: report
Waiting for the Sony PlayStation Network to come back online? Better make yourself comfortable.
According to a new report from Bloomberg News, PSN may not get a full restart until May 31, more than a month after the popular gaming service was first shuttered by Sony. Meanwhile, as of this morning, PSN and Qriocity, a related media-sharing platform, remained offline; Sony rep Shigenori Yoshida told Bloomberg that the company remains "uncertain" when service will be restored.
The backstory: On April, PSN was targeted by hackers, who managed to get their paws on a bunch of sensitive user information. In order to prevent more widespread damage, Sony took down the network. Last week, news came that PlayStation Network would be back online by Friday, but on Friday, Sony communications exec Patrick Seybold took to the PlayStation blog to announce another delay.
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"We were unaware of the extent of the attack on Sony Online Entertainment servers, and we are taking this opportunity to conduct further testing of the incredibly complex system," Seybold wrote. "We know many of you are wanting to play games online, chat with your friends and enjoy all of the services PlayStation Network and Qriocity services have to offer, and trust me when I say we're doing everything we can to make it happen."
Of course, the PSN breach and the resulting blackout have not come without a silver lining. Sony has promised that when the PSN is rebooted, all users will be eligible for a free credit protection service called AllClear ID Plus. Included in the service is fraud insurance that covers up to $1 million of "identity restoration costs, legal defense expenses, and lost wages that occur within 12 months after the stolen identity event."
It doesn't quite make up for a month without online game play, but it's a good start. Thoughts on the PSN breach? Drop us a line in the comments section below. In the meantime, for more tech news, sign up for the free Innovation newsletter, which is emailed out every Wednesday morning.
