It has been almost four years since the PlayStation Network attack that brought down Sony’s online service for more than a month. The company attempted to calm frustrated fans with two free games and extended service plans for Qriocity users, but it was not enough to head off a lawsuit.
Today, PSN users in the US who had an account before May 15, 2011 can claim as many as two games, free themes, or a free PlayStation Plus subscription, depending on whether they already claimed games as part of the company’s “Welcome Back” program. You are still eligible for at least one free game even if you were among the “Welcome Back” recipients.
The company is offering 8 different PS3 choices and 5 different PSP choices. Among those free games are top-notch choices like God of War HD, Infamous and Little Big Planet for PS3 and Killzone Liberation, WipeOut Pure, and Patapon for PSP.
Sony is emailing users with details but you can also visit http://psnsoesettlement.com/ for more info. Claims can be filed either online or by mail. They must be filed before August 31, 2015 to claim a benefit.
If you’re wondering why there is a lawsuit in the first place, according to the settlement website:
Plaintiffs claim that Defendants did not adequately protect the Network Platforms and, as a result, unauthorized people were able to access certain accountholder information. According to Plaintiffs, Defendants’ inadequate security measures allowed unauthorized people to access and steal this information to commit fraud and identity theft. Plaintiffs also claim that the accountholders were legally injured by the unavailability of the PSN, the Qriocity service, and the SOE services, while they were temporarily offline after the Intrusions.
PSN users who purchased identity theft protection after the hacking incident can also receive compensation for those services as part of the settlement agreement.
