Playstation Network Back Online by May 6th According to Sony PSN Representatives

MAY 5, 2011

Updated from an earlier report: According to a statement from Sony, which held a press conference regarding the recent shut down on the companies online gaming site, they expect to have the Playstation network back online for users by the end of this week.

The network was shut down in the wake of hacking attacks against the company which led to the theft of credit card and bank account information of former customers. In response to the break-in, and to give the company more time to improve security, Sony shut down the Sony Online Entertainment site which allows online gamers to play games with each other over the internet using their Playstation 3 consoles as well as through Facebook.

The company is offering customers a 30 day extension to their current subscriptions plus an additional free day for each day the network is off line.

During the press conference in Japan thei week, Sony executive Kazuo Hirai told gaming customers that that they would be able to enjoy their online games by Friday of this week and apologized for the down time.

The improvements to the site will require Sony PlayStation 3 customers to accept a system software update to their console, and will require them to change the password on their accounts as well. These and other internal layers of enhanced security are designed to prevent future breaches of the company’s network and keep customer information safe.