There’s been a lot of misinformation doing the rounds regarding the hacking of the PlayStation Network, which has now been offline since April 19, but Sony has today come forward to dispel some of the myths.
One rumor was that the PlayStation Network will be back online before May 31. SCEA’s director of corporate communications and social media, Patrick Seybold, however, has told Venture Beat that Sony has never given out this information to any media outlet. Though Seybold states that “restoration of online gamplay is the FIRST phase of the plan to restore,” there’s still no firm indication as to when the service will resume. Nonetheless, Sony says it is working around the clock to get things back to normal and secure.
Seybold was also keen to clear up another news story doing the rounds regarding a possible third attack on Sony’s online services that was supposed to happen over the weekend. When the attack didn’t materialize, CNET reported that Sony had taken down its only live server in response to the warning from numerous gaming websites reporting the potential security breach. “There is no accuracy to that report,” said Seybold. “We’re focused on ensuring the security of the network before bringing the services back online.”
The PlayStation Network has now been offline for over three weeks. As an apology for the downtime, Sony has promised to enroll users in a free identity theft scheme while offering a complimentary one month free subscription to the PlayStation Plus service. Anyone else starting to get withdraw.