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Court approves settlement over Sony's 2011 PSN breach
The US District Court for the Southern District of California approved a settlement for the class action lawsuit resulting from Sony's 2011 PSN data breach. The settlement may result in Sony doling out as much as $17.75 million, which includes an offer for one free game (PS3 or PSP only), three PS3 themes or credit for three months of PlayStation Plus membership (valid only for new subscribers). The claimant groups are divided based on whether PSN account holders prior to May 15, 2011 took advantage of the "Welcome Back" program following the intrusion. Those that did not accept the PSN Welcome Back offer can claim two of the benefit options among the games, themes and PS Plus membership credit on a first come, first served basis until a $6 million allocation from Sony is reached. For those that did take advantage of the program, they will receive one of the benefits above until a $4 million allocation is reached.
SOE offering free Legendary DC Universe Online access
If you're a former subscriber who has been thinking of heading back into DC Universe Online, you're fresh out of excuses not to, since SOE is giving you a free Legendary membership. It's a temporary deal of course, but you've got until January 15, 2014 to sample the various monthly stipends that come with a premium account and catch up on all the content updates you've missed. It's worth noting that the free Legendary membership is only being offered to former Legendary members who paid for at least one billing cycle between January 11, 2011 and December 10, 2013. Full details are available at the DCUO website. [Thanks Andy!]
Mortal Online welcomes back all former players for a free week
MMOs change at a breakneck pace, but you don't always have time to check back in and see what changes have taken place. Mortal Online has just recently released its second major expansion, and the community staffers want everyone to check in and see how the game has grown, so they're giving you the chance to do just that. Starting today you can hop into the game and experience all of the improvements in Awakening for free if you previously subscribed to Mortal Online. If you've played in the past but haven't been following the game recently, you might have missed all of the features added by Awakening, including new AI mechanics and a variety of new combat abilities. The free play period will last for the next week, more than enough time to patch the client and take a look at the latest update to the game. [Thanks to Chris for the tip!]
Xsyon hosts 10-day welcome back promotion
Did you play the sandbox title Xsyon in the past year but you've let your subscription slip? Notorious Games wants your patronage back, and it's willing to meet you halfway with 10 days of free game time to check out all of the new additions and developments in the game. Any former subscriber to Xsyon will receive a 10-day pass to the game sometime after May 18th. This time will be used over the course of five weeks. Eligible players will be notified by email when their 10-day slot is scheduled. Xsyon recently celebrated its first anniversary and since launch has seen explosive growth of both player-created structures and the wildlife population. Other improvements that Notorious Games is proud of include a better crafting system, an overhauled UI, and tweaked visuals.
Sony's Welcome Back package proves problematic for European PSPlus users
Sony's Welcome Back package was supposed to expire July 5 (after being extended), but in a few regions it hasn't, causing some paid PlayStation Plus members to lose their service altogether. The European PlayStation Blog lists the United Arab Emirates, Great Britain, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand as affected areas, writing, "Currently, the Welcome Back offer is not expiring and so those that have purchased a full Plus membership are not able to access the full Plus content. This issue is the cause of many of the other problems you have reported here on the blog, such as new content not showing up in the Store as expected." Sony has not updated with progress on the service outage, but expects to see it resolved "over the next few days." Perhaps Sony just wanted another chance to say Welcome Back. And Back. And Back.
PlayStation Store returns to Japan July 6
Good news for those of us waiting to log into our Japanese PSN accounts and pick up more freebies! Oh, and also for people who actually live in Japan. Sony has finally straightened out all the issues holding back the relaunch of the PlayStation Store there, and will fully reactivate the store, Qriocity, and all other inactive services on July 6. Japan is the last region to be reactivated, according to Sony; thus, with the renewal of all of the PSN services, Sony can now claim that the PSN is back. And we can soon claim our copy of Echochrome.
PSN 'Welcome Back' program extended to July 5; THIS IS IT, DO IT NOW!
Sony has wisely avoided getting into a semantics argument about the definition of "through" by stating a clear conclusion to the Welcome Back package: 9AM Pacific on July 5th. That gives procrastinators another day to do everything else but download their free games. No, we're totally kidding. Go do it now! Not at home? Make a little mark on your hand to remind you when you get back to the domicile. This is it: no more reminders or extensions. Get it done.
PlayStation Store, Qriocity returning to Japan this week, completing global PSN restoration
Sony's 'Welcome Back' campaign may have drawn to a close a bit early, but the PlayStation Network won't make its full return to Japan until later this week. As of July 6th, Japanese gamers will once again be able to access the PlayStation Store and Qriocity, bringing an end to a nearly three-month suspension enacted after April's widespread data breach. These services have already been reintroduced across other parts of the globe, but Sony encountered notably stiffer resistance in its homeland, where authorities demanded assurance of the PSN's security before allowing it to relaunch within their borders. The PlayStation Store remained down throughout Sony's negotiations with government officials, but company spokesman Satoshi Fukuoka says those discussions have advanced far enough for full services to resume. The PSN's long-awaited return to Japan will also signal its full global restoration, meaning that Sony may finally be able to put the saga to rest -- and try to forget about that $170 million it lost in the process.
PSA: Sony's Welcome Back package ended today [update: last-minute extension]
Update: Sony has extended the availability of the Welcome Back package until 9AM Pacific on July 5th. You still have some time left! Original story: Sony's Welcome Back package ended earlier today, July 3, and users are no longer able to claim their free content, despite information from Sony that the program would last "through" July 3. Yesterday we reported Sony's Welcome Back package would end July 3, based on PlayStation.Blog posts detailing the terms of the program, which was begun to "thank users for their loyalty" following the month-long outage of the PlayStation Network and the more upsetting compromise of user's personal information: June 30, 2011, "Welcome Back Program Available Now – Details Inside" Q: When will I have access to the Welcome Back Program? A: The content offered as part of the Welcome Back Program is available for download today and will be available through July 3. Q: How long do I have to get into the PlayStation Store and receive my content for Welcome Back? A: Access to the Welcome Back content will be expiring on July 3. Once this date has passed, the Welcome Back section in the PlayStation Store will be removed. July 1, 2011, "Public Service Announcement – Claim Your Free Games Now!" This offer expires on Sunday, July 3rd, so please make sure to claim what's yours before then. Many PlayStation Network users are surprised and angry at the deal's seemingly early removal, saying they believed it would end at midnight July 3, leading into July 4. Some users were waiting until the deadline to claim 30 days of free PlayStation Plus, and now feel as if they were misled. Sr. Social Media Manager Jeff Rubenstein has responded on Twitter to questions from GameFly Media editorial director Garnett Lee, writing, "There were 30 days to claim it, not sure why people decided to wait. We were clear from the outset." We have contacted Rubenstein for clarification on this, ahem, communication confusion.
PSA: Sony's Welcome Back package expires Sunday
You know that amazing glow you feel for a few weeks after getting back with an ex who screwed you over horribly? Yeah. That's about to end. Sony's Welcome Back program ends tomorrow, July 3, taking all your dreams of free content, a white picket fence and an abuse-free relationship with it. Sony is offering free games, virtual items from PlayStation Home and 30 days of PlayStation Plus for jilted users to choose from. If you've been procrastinating, redeem your free content through the Welcome Back tab on your PS3 and, if you have any questions, hit up the PlayStation Blog. But whatever you decide, don't ever forget to put the toilet seat down again. [Thanks, skyline9734!]
Welcome Back goodies for European PlayStation Home outlined
Who cares about free games, downloadable content or PlayStation Plus memberships? We certainly could not care less -- our envious eye has fallen on the European PSN, whose Welcome Back rewards now include a grip of free PlayStation Home swag.
PlayStation Network's 'Welcome Back' content now available
Sony is currently rolling out the content previously detailed in its "Welcome Back" package in North America. A post on the US PlayStation Blog details as much, and dishes out a lengthy FAQ on the offerings. First and foremost, if you weren't a PlayStation Network user before April 20, 2011, you're out of luck. For the rest of us, PS3 owners can choose two free games from a list of five, while PSP owners can choose two free games from a list of four. To do so, head to the PlayStation Store and then to the "Welcome Back" area where you'll see the selection of titles (seen above). There's also a new free version of PlayStation Plus, which is the one free month everyone gets as part of the "Welcome Back" program. And finally, the promised free "On Us" films are also currently being offered, and will remain so throughout the coming weekend. You'll have one month to grab your free games and other content, as the Welcome Back tab will disappear after July 3, 2011. PlayStation Plus users will automatically have 60 extra days added to their subscriptions, Sony says. And though no details have yet been provided, "posts over the coming days" will apparently explain how the past month of missing content will be added to PSN. Update: The European "Welcome Back" content is now also rolling out, according to the EU PlayStation Blog. Update 2: As you might expect, things are a tad bumpy (especially on the PSP side of things, which isn't even showing a "Welcome Back" option for us), so maybe waiting an hour or two would be a good idea. Update 3: If you can't get your free games even though you used to be able to see them, we've got the fix from the EU PS Blog after the break!
PSN will be 'fully restored' today [Update: PlayStation Store back in North America]
Though there weren't that many days left in this week in which to relaunch PSN, Sony has officially narrowed down the date for reactivation of the PlayStation Store and other services -- to today (June 2). Qriocity services will also come back. In a brief press release sent out tonight, Sony announced plans to "fully restore" services everywhere but Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea. Additional details about each region's "Welcome Back" package (like, we assume, how to get it) will be announced soon. As for the strange timing of this press release: it was issued from Tokyo, and thus timed for Japan but ... Japan is one of the three places that isn't affected by this news. Just something to think about as you're reading this at like 1 AM. Update: Still up? Go browse the PlayStation Store! The PlayStation Blog details a bunch of new content available on the now-active store, including Wizardry: The Labyrinth of Lost Souls on PS3, the Turbografx-16 classics Alien Crush, Bomberman '94 and Bonk's Adventure on both PSP and PS3, and Sega Rally Online Arcade. There's also a single-player demo for MotorStorm: Apocalypse. There's ... a lot to take in. What you won't be taking in yet is the Welcome Back stuff: it's " currently in the final stages of testing."
PSN service coming back in Asia tomorrow, Welcome Back package detailed
While there were some extra ... hurdles before PlayStation Network services could be restored in Japan, Sony announced that the phased renewal of network services for Japan and other Asian territories will go through tomorrow -- except for Korea and Hong Kong, whose service renewal "will be announced as soon as ready." Like North America and Europe, the services coming back include online play, sign-in (with password change), and Home. The torne DVR thing will also be usable again. When the PlayStation Store does return, PSN members in Asia will have their own PS3 and PSP Welcome Back packages, from which to choose two games for each system. And they're ... different. Instead of games like Dead Nation and Infamous, PS3 owners can choose from the following five games: The Last Guy LocoRoco Cocoreccho! echochrome WipEout HD Hustler King And for PSP, the choices include: Yuhshanokuseninamaikida or2 PSP® the Best (What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord!? 2) Everybody's Stress Buster (Hot Shots Shorties) PATAPON2 PSP® the Best LittleBigPlanet Portable LocoRoco -Midnight Carnival- Users also get 30 days free PlayStation Plus access, Home stuff, free "select" movie rentals, and a month of "Platinya" membership for the weekly news program/cat minigame collection Weekly Toro Station.
SOE welcomes players back, Mark Anderson named DCUO's new game director
"It's good to be back!" Many Sony Online Entertainment customers have said this these past few days as the studio's titles came back online after a two-week absence. They're not the only ones, either; many of the leads to SOE's host of MMOs are saying the same thing today. Eight developers representing a large portion of SOE's library posted "Welcome back!" messages on the Station Blog, expressing a mixture of relief, happiness, and hopeful visions for their games' futures. Several of these developers have also used the opportunity to show that they were working hard during the break. "We're incredibly glad to have our worlds back online again," EverQuest II's David Georgeson said, "and we really appreciate you all being so patient with us while we strengthened the castle walls." There's certainly a lot of information to digest in these eight posts. Lorin Jameson dropped the news that Mark Anderson's been moved up to become DC Universe Online's latest game director, while Georgeson hinted at a "major new feature set" for EQII that's in the works. Several of the devs mentioned that the downtime will result in a delay of future patches and expansions so that they can be properly tested. You can read the full assortment of "Welcome back!" posts at the Station Blog.
Sony reveals choice of free game downloads as part of PSN 'Welcome Back' program
PlayStation Network and Qriocity haven't even been back for 48 hours, but Sony is already explaining its "Welcome Back" program. The company detailed its "Customer Appreciation Program" this afternoon for North America and Europe on its regional PlayStation blogs, laying out a long list of free stuff that PSN users are eligible to receive as a thank you for weathering the outage. Aside from offering the previously announced free 30 days of PlayStation Plus for all PSN users, the company is giving away two free PlayStation 3 games and two free PlayStation Portable games, all from two lists of (mostly) wonderful releases. The European Union is being offered similar titles, with a few notable swaps (Super Stardust HD is an option in the US, replaced by Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty in the EU). Additionally, an unnamed selection of "On Us" movies will be available for free rental on an unspecified weekend in the coming weeks. Oh, and those of you who were already paying for PlayStation Plus? You'll get an additional 60 days of free subscription time tacked on to your existing plan. And, for the Home loyal among us, "100 free virtual items" will be made available at some point soon. Sony hopes to offer all of this stuff as soon as possible, noting that it is waiting for all services to be fully restored before it does. Head past the break for a full list of options in both North America and Europe.
Sony misses promised PlayStation Network and Qriocity restoration date, begs for more patience
Whoops. If you'll recall, Sony held what can only be described as an emergency press event in Japan a week ago in order to issue a number of assurances about the resumption of service as it relates to the PlayStation Network and Qriocity. Seven days later, things are still as dead as they were pre-Cinco de Mayo. This evening, the company's Senior Director of Corporate Communications Patrick Seybold punched out a quick update to let the world know that they could actually leave the house and find something else to entertain 'em -- like it or not, PSN isn't coming back online today. The reason? On May 1st, Sony was apparently "unaware of the extent of the attack on Sony Online Entertainment servers," and now, it's spinning its wheels in order to restore security on the network and "ensure" that user data is safe. Mr. Seybold seems to understand that you're overly anxious about getting back into the swing of things, and he's even going so far as to ask your trust that Sony's doing "everything [it] can" to get the lights blinking once more. Oh, and if you were planning on visiting that source link just to find the new ETA... don't. Sony's planning to update you "as soon as it can." [Thanks, Alex]
DC Universe Online players getting a new mask as a consolation prize
It hasn't been an easy ride for Sony Online Entertainment customers this week, as it looks like the PSN hack has affected them as well. The company is already working on a plan to make up the outage to players, especially the DC Universe Online customers who have been doubly hit. And as we all know, the road to mending fences starts with a nice hat, which has just recently been revealed on the former game's Facebook page. According to the official statement, all DC Universe Online players impacted by the outage will receive a free month of game time plus one day per day that the service was unavailable. Players will also be receiving a new Batman-inspired mask as shown above. Precise details will be made available to players in the coming days as network service begins restoration, and while the hat won't cure all woes, it will at least help ease the sting.
Sony promises 'phased restoration' of PlayStation Network and Qriocity starting this week
Sony made quite a few promises this morning about how it intends to deal with the fallout from the PlayStation Network outage and breach when it wasn't profusely and solemnly apologizing -- you can find our liveblog right here -- including improved security measures and a few token handouts of 30-day free subscriptions to PlayStation Plus and Qriocity and possibly some free software. Perhaps more importantly for you gamers, Kaz Hirai told reporters that services will resume "soon," and by the end of the week we should see some functionality return. Of course, it made those promises in Japanese, but if you want an English copy you won't have to look far, as the official PlayStation.Blog got hold of a press release with them all spelled out. Find the full document after the break.
The Daily Grind: Did you return to Azeroth?
With the holiday relaxation & downtime many have had this last week, coupled with the recent offer of 7 days free to previous subscribers, some have gone back to World of Warcraft. After all, it is still the insanely huge gorilla in the MMO room, and with the recent addition in patch 3.3, it's now very easy to get those instance groups you might have needed. Add to that the promise of holiday fun with friends, and it's pretty easy to see why many may take Blizzard up on their offer. On the other hand, there are a ton of games that have either just come out, or are going to come out this next year that could be keeping people out. (Even if just based on the "It's not World of Warcraft" mantra.) Also, there's the sheer fact that many folks are just burnt out. Sure, you might be getting groups faster, but you're still running the same old dungeons you were before. After a while, that sense of same-old-same-old sets in and it gets mind-numbingly boring again for some. Ultimately, we've been curious how many did opt to take them up on the 7 day offer, really. If you did go back for the 7 days, did you wind up resubscribing? Did you log in, see all the idiots in your PUG/Trade channel/etc, remember why you left, log back out, and delete the game? Or did you give the whole thing a pass altogether? We'd love to hear from those of you who got the offer to come back as to what you did. Leave us your thoughts below!
