Sony made big news on Sunday at a Tokyo press conference where they announced that the PlayStation Network, which has been down for a week and a half, will come back online next week. The service will be phased in by region. The company remains confident that credit card numbers were not lost in the attack, but has cautioned that users should be vigilant nonetheless.
On the positive side, the company is planning to offer 30 days of free PlayStation Plus service to users as a “welcome back” and apology for the downtime. Current subscribers to PlayStation Plus will get 30 additional days free. Music Unlimited subscribers will receive 30 days free service.
“This criminal act against our network had a significant impact not only on our consumers, but our entire industry,” said Kazuo Hirai, Executive Deputy President, Sony Corporation. “These illegal attacks obviously highlight the widespread problem with cyber-security. We take the security of our consumers’ information very seriously and are committed to helping our consumers protect their personal data. In addition, the organization has worked around the clock to bring these services back online, and are doing so only after we had verified increased levels of security across our networks.
“Our global audience of PlayStation Network and Qriocity consumers was disrupted. We have learned lessons along the way about the valued relationship with our consumers, and to that end, we will be launching a customer appreciation program for registered consumers as a way of expressing our gratitude for their loyalty during this network downtime, as we work even harder to restore and regain their trust in us and our services.”
