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Court approves settlement over Sony's 2011 PSN breach

Mike Suszek — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 11:32:00 EST

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.

Continue reading Court approves settlement over Sony's 2011 PSN breach

Court approves settlement over Sony's 2011 PSN breach originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 24 Jul 2014 11:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony's Welcome Back package proves problematic for European PSPlus users

Jessica Conditt — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 16:00:00 EST

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.

Sony's Welcome Back package proves problematic for European PSPlus users originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 09 Jul 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PlayStation Store returns to Japan July 6

JC Fletcher — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 12:45:00 EST

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.

PlayStation Store returns to Japan July 6 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 04 Jul 2011 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSN 'Welcome Back' program extended to July 5; THIS IS IT, DO IT NOW!

Alexander Sliwinski — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 09:45:00 EST

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.

PSN 'Welcome Back' program extended to July 5; THIS IS IT, DO IT NOW! originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 04 Jul 2011 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSA: Sony's Welcome Back package ended today [update: last-minute extension]

Jessica Conditt — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 18:30:00 EST

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 ended today [update: last-minute extension] originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 03 Jul 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSA: Sony's Welcome Back package expires Sunday

Jessica Conditt — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 20:30:00 EST

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!]

PSA: Sony's Welcome Back package expires Sunday originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 02 Jul 2011 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome Back goodies for European PlayStation Home outlined

Griffin McElroy — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 00:00:00 EST

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.

Continue reading Welcome Back goodies for European PlayStation Home outlined

Welcome Back goodies for European PlayStation Home outlined originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PlayStation Network's 'Welcome Back' content now available

Ben Gilbert — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 12:55:00 EST

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!

Continue reading PlayStation Network's 'Welcome Back' content now available

PlayStation Network's 'Welcome Back' content now available originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Jun 2011 12:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSN will be 'fully restored' today [Update: PlayStation Store back in North America]

JC Fletcher — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 00:45:00 EST

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."

Continue reading PSN will be 'fully restored' today [Update: PlayStation Store back in North America]

PSN will be 'fully restored' today [Update: PlayStation Store back in North America] originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Jun 2011 00:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSN service coming back in Asia tomorrow, Welcome Back package detailed

JC Fletcher — Fri, 27 May 2011 09:35:00 EST

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(R) the Best (What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord!? 2)
Everybody's Stress Buster (Hot Shots Shorties)
PATAPON2 PSP(R) 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.

PSN service coming back in Asia tomorrow, Welcome Back package detailed originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 27 May 2011 09:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony reveals choice of free game downloads as part of PSN 'Welcome Back' program

Ben Gilbert — Mon, 16 May 2011 17:53:00 EST

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.

Continue reading Sony reveals choice of free game downloads as part of PSN 'Welcome Back' program

Sony reveals choice of free game downloads as part of PSN 'Welcome Back' program originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 16 May 2011 17:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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