As Sony continues to inch toward a full two weeks of lost service for PlayStation Network and Qriocity customers, there is more and more pressure on the company to address the growing numbers of questions being lobbed in its direction. The first steps were taken earlier this week toward addressing the demands of the 77 million users who have had their personal data stolen and been left without service since last Wednesday, in the form of a Sony-penned Q&A. Today brings part two of that Q&A, presumably with more to come given that today’s answers serve to raise additional questions.
The key points discussed in Patrick Seybold’s PlayStation Blog post relate to how each user’s game & community data has been affected by the outage (other than being currently inaccessible, it hasn’t) and what the company’s plans are moving forward, after service is restored. This second point is obviously much more rooted in the realm of the theoretical at this point, as there’s no restored service to speak of yet, and the length of time between now and when that happens will probably play a role in any decisions.
PlayStation Network is home to a number of massively multiplayer online role-playing games, such as the recently released DC Universe Online. Since these types of games involve subscriptions that aren’t associated with or paid to PlayStation Network, Seybold defers to a statement from Sony Online Entertainment:
“We apologize for any inconvenience players may have experienced as a result of the recent service interruption. As a global leader in online gaming, SOE is committed to delivering stable and entertaining games for players of all ages. To thank players for their patience, we will be hosting special events across our game portfolio. We are also working on a ‘make good’ plan for players of the PS3 versions of DC Universe Online and Free Realms. Details will be available soon on the individual game websites and forums.”
As for the PlayStation Network, the basic service allowing gamers to connect and play together online is completely free, in contrast to Microsoft‘s subscription-based Xbox Live. PS3 owners can subscribe to the PS Plus program for added benefits, and those people are simply out of luck right now. There’s also an argument that the PS3’s “free online play” offering is a selling point that motivates consumers to choose the console over the Xbox 360. Then there’s Qriocity, which is entirely subscription-based.
In short, many believe that Sony ought to make some kind of “goodwill gesture” to make up for the service outage, for PS Plus/Qriocity subscribers and basic PlayStation Network account holders alike. Sony wants you to know that ideas are being discussed. The Q&A reads, “We are currently evaluating ways to show appreciation for your extraordinary patience as we work to get these services back online.”
