Sony has pledged to give PlayStation Network subscribers two free games when PSN's down time finally comes to an end.
The PlayStation Network has been offline for over two weeks, and it is looking likely that Sony will be unable to come good on its plan to resurrect the service by this evening. The firm has admitted that the subsequent revelation of 24.6 million SOE accounts also being hacked has stalled its hopes to relaunch PSN as quickly as hoped.
Sony is set to announce an identity protection package for European PSN users shortly, in line with the insurance offer made to US members.
He said: "Both Kazuo Hirai and Sir Howard Stringer have stated that we will be offering identity theft protection for those affected by the malicious attack on PlayStation Network and many of you may have seen the details of the service available in North America.
"As I have explained previously, creating a similar offering for the many countries within the SCEE region is a very complicated process. Each country has a different way of handling identity theft; some offer relatively sophisticated services whilst others are much more modest.
"We are currently in the process of identifying how we manage this situation and once the programme is ready to launch, we will provide details of exactly which services are available in each country and explain how to sign up. We hope to do this early next week.
"Also, look out for more information on the rest of our Welcome Back programme, including which free content you will be eligible for. We will be offering PSN users the opportunity to select two PS3 games from a list of five, as well as offering PSP users the opportunity to choose two games from a list of four. We will let you know exactly what games are available very soon.
"Please be assured that we are continuing to work around the clock to have some PlayStation Network and Qriocity services restored and will provide you with specific details shortly."
Comments
67 comments so far...
wtfbbqchiken on 8 May '11 said:
not been the victim of any fraud and out and about in the sun while psn has been down and i get 2 free games?! yeah!
i really hope there is a good choice of games though 
Rocketman on 8 May '11 said:
Thats very nice of them,just hope i already don't own them.
Fly_Me_Friendly on 8 May '11 said:
Free copy of Lair anyone?
djreplay on 8 May '11 said:
According to this article Sony were using the latest version of apache server security as well, not years out of date as had been previously thought,
http://bitmob.com/articles/detective-work-reveals-psn-servers-up-to-date
lwill on 8 May '11 said:
Two free PS3 games?! Ok, sure, they'll probably be some Playstation platinums from back in 07 or something, but that really is pushing the boat out. I bet most people would go without PSN for 2/3 weeks if they got two free games out of it.
rockstarsean on 8 May '11 said:
Choose from either "Zen Pinball", "Ghostbusters: Sanctm of Slime", "Watchmen: The End is Nigh 2" or "Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic"
No Thanks. Even as a paying member of PS+, I'll pass.
azz72 on 8 May '11 said:
dont even use my PS3, but i'll take to 2 free games.
Jedi_sniper on 8 May '11 said:
Lucky *******, is all I can say!! LOL
sonic_uk on 8 May '11 said:
Choice of two games from five? Most likely they will be five crap games that no one would normally have bought anyway. Why not give Psn users a choice of two free games from ANY game on the network? Or give everyone some free credit to spend on what they want? Or what about a voucher to get a free retail game - which would come across as a far more genuine and customer caring offer.
gobbybobby on 8 May '11 said:
Oh CVG I knew this 2 days ago
Anyway, I bet its sony games that are on the Playstation store, so things like MAG and prob warhawk.
I hope Mags on there I have retail copy but the Download version is said to load faster! No more missing that vital first spawn becuase I am still loading the map.
If you not played MAG and it is one of the 2 games, GET IT
I twittered a Zipper dev and he said: DunhamSmash
@gobbybobby2 Doubt it, but anything is possible I suppose
fingers crossed.
irishmarine005 on 8 May '11 said:
I'll believe it when I see it!!!
timewarp1 on 8 May '11 said:
Anyone heard of Xlink Kai ? Was just looking at this, it allows you to play cross platform games -pc/xbox/ps3, that have a LAN game mode. Was trying to set it up but F1 is on now
rivariad on 8 May '11 said:
so which games are these? anyone?
mogel94 on 8 May '11 said:
I'm personally hoping for portal 2 or mortal kombat, but that would be too good to be true
kirankara on 8 May '11 said:
Not so shocked by this tbh. It only sums up what I thought anyway, which is whilst sony has to be responsible for the loss of data, and should have maybe encrypted some of the information on their network, the hackers are ultimately ones to blame, not Sony. The hackers are the criminals here, not Sony
Very_Silver_Ownz on 8 May '11 said:
So we get a full month of psplus and 2 free games ? Sounds good to me just make sure they are good expensive games though
TheLastDodo on 8 May '11 said:
1. They haven't announced the games yet.
2. They will likely be first party games
3. @sonic_uk: You gotta be realistic dude, Sony have enough problems getting 3-4 year old games like Rainbow 6 Vegas and Assassins Creed on the store for under 20 quid, so what chance do they have of getting free games?
I wouldn't be shocked if 2 of the 5 games were inFamous and Warhawk, due to the impending release of inFamous 2 and the possible announcement of Starhawk next friday. Theres also a rumour going round that Heavenly Sword 2 will be announced at E3 so maybe Heavenly Sword will be one of the games,
This is all guesswork on my part though, based on Sony using a 1 month PS+ subscription as a marketing ploy/welcome back package.
360_Fan on 8 May '11 said:
I know everytime I come on to throw out some fanboy comments, but I am starting to feel bad for my fellow gamers. Although I only play online a couple of times a week, if that option was suddenly taken away I would be upset. Single player games are great in bursts, but if my 360 stopped me getting my usual dose of bad company 2 or brink this week, I would be p**sed.
phillip72098 on 8 May '11 said:
what about map packs?????????????????
TheLastDodo on 8 May '11 said:
Killzone 3 Botzone FTW
eXciSioNz on 8 May '11 said:
i have both xbox and ps3 and im mostly on xbox live so im just geting 2 free games
looks like psn going down is a good thing for me 
wrightandrewjame on 8 May '11 said:
I'm a PS3 and PSP owner, so do I get both sets of free games? I doubt I will, but I'll try the PS3 one before the PSP to make sure - unless they are games I've already got of course.
kirankara on 8 May '11 said:
U just reminded me brink is out this week, u just made what's been a rubbish day so far into a happy one, just need psn to come back in time for it release now
gmcb007 on 8 May '11 said:
There, now all the compensation whiners can shut up.
stellardust on 8 May '11 said:
they will give some kind of choice of cheap games. i've been loyal to sony since my first walkman. they shoul've given us ps2 games compatibility back too, software emulator on slim. for free. because i have lots of good and rare titles and they are useless sitting on my shelf, don't need to wait for hd remakes. they should also update the music visualizations, they haven't updated them since around 3 years? you're a disappointment sony.
alan666 on 8 May '11 said:
i think Sony will know that the free games will have to be good ones otherwise they know they will only got more flack, it's pointless going on about the games being rubbish etc because you don't have any idea what the games will be.
the most important thing is the fraud compensation coverage though.
stellardust on 8 May '11 said:
or they will be cool games i already have...
WiffleBalls on 8 May '11 said:
Imagine if you'd bought a PSP Go just before the psn went down. that would suck.
nintendolad on 8 May '11 said:
Getting Portal 2 or Mortal Kombat for free would be a dream choice. Sadly, it's nothing more than a dream. Also, I very much doubt that we'll get any decent games that have been released in the last year. Ratchet and Clank would be a good starting point.
hi0marc on 8 May '11 said:
Also available : Haze
Oooo that would just feel dirty.
Padua on 8 May '11 said:
MAG is an action-packed game so give it a go if you haven't tried it yet - although I was dumb enough to buy a replacement (used) MAG game disc last week whilst the PSN was still down
"Stacked" is another excellent game - and you would not be disappointed choosing that if it was on offer again.
I missed buying inFamous so would love that to be available too.
stellardust on 8 May '11 said:
what about Loco Roco PS3 version released ages ago...
stellardust on 8 May '11 said:
mass effect 2, flower, warhawk, dead nation, rachet and something new. would be fine. now i can wake up..
sihenderson913 on 8 May '11 said:
I have had a PS3 virtually since day one and have bought most games on the PSN that are worth having. This really grinds me as being a PS+ subscriber, the majority of free games offered are either old and/or I already own.
I don't hold much hope of getting excited at 2 free games, I will already own them, or they will be dog toffee.
I am a Loyal Sony Customer, so PLEASE, Sony, PLEASE f**k me over again.
Very_Silver_Ownz on 8 May '11 said:
'' I am a Loyal Sony Customer, so PLEASE, Sony, PLEASE f**k me over again. ''
Sony : Okay if you want to get f**ked, f**ked is what your going get.
metallicorphan on 8 May '11 said:
servers are gonna be screwed when they do come back up with everyone downloading all these free games..even worse if they are retail games on demand
if they are full retail sized downlaoads then i think it will be time for me to finally delete HOME
sweatyBallacks on 8 May '11 said:
Choice of free games:
God of War III
Uncharted 2
MGS4
LBP 2
Gran Turismo 5
NOT.
adamitom2 on 8 May '11 said:
2 free games for PSN users, 2 total, we have to share
kirankara on 8 May '11 said:
Re: PlayStation Network users offered 2 free PS3 games for s
by WiffleBalls Today, 14:05
"Imagine if you'd bought a PSP Go just before the psn went down. that would suck."
Just imagining having bought a psp go is bad enough
Lol
funnyguy2001 on 8 May '11 said:
This is Sony ffs.... They won't give us anything half decent for free
It will be 2 mini games and 1 month of PS+
I would rather get 2 dynamic themes for free rather than 2 poor games.
Very_Silver_Ownz on 8 May '11 said:
'' I would rather get 2 dynamic themes for free rather than 2 poor games. ''
You do know you can get dynamic themes free online on the net right ?
http://www.ps3-themes.com/
timewarp1 on 8 May '11 said:
@djreplay ... Im sure there is a way to make servers not display their version to anyone.. It doesnt help when your server version can be seen from outside as it allows hackers to pinpoint what they are attacking, whereas if its not displayed then it could be any version, making it more difficult. Its like caller id on a mobile.
metallicorphan on 8 May '11 said:
Baggsy first on 'em
try4life on 8 May '11 said:
socom confrontation
warhawk
M.A.G
will be 3 of the five ps3 games to choose from.
damoxuk on 8 May '11 said:
You know this how?
horngreen on 8 May '11 said:
When LIVE went down we got some lame XBLA game as I recall. Played it for about 10 minutes then deleted it. Hopefully you all will do better.
agentxnofx on 8 May '11 said:
lol, same here.. at least this gives me a reason to turn on my ps3 besides watching bluray movies. i haven't used my ps3 since mag came out, and i sold that about a week later.
r0bb3d-up on 8 May '11 said:
yay cant wait for my copy of pacman
disturbedbydeth3 on 8 May '11 said:
Yay, free stuff. I imagine Sony wouldn't want to p**s people off further by offering complete turds for free as compensation.
P.s. Contrary to popular opinion and some of the comments, I actually thought Haze and Lair were ok.
maganoo23 on 8 May '11 said:
Probably be Playstation minis
In all fairness, Sony didnt have to do this. Am going for Infamous and maybe Uncharted as the main choices
Very_Silver_Ownz on 8 May '11 said:
I've just been on this massive fanboy site and wow people are overreacting.
Most are threatening to trade or have already traded their PS3s for 360s o.O
http://www.psu.com/PSN-likely-offline-l ... 582-p0.php
Its great for a good laugh seeing some of the comments.
theatticusera on 8 May '11 said:
Well they'll obviously be sony games cuz i cant imagine ay developers/publishers wanting millions of people getting their games for free. I predict they'll be psn games.
Also this 30 days free PS+ is a bit of a rip off for PS+ subsribers. Yes we get 30 days free too but what about the 2-3 weeks we've missed of subscription time. will we get that back too?
theaface on 8 May '11 said:
PSU isn't a "massive fanboy site". It's a site/community mostly dedicated to PlayStation, just as there are countless other sites dedicated to other interests such as Xbox, Nintendo, kittens, painting, Dragonball Z, etc etc etc.
Regardless, the fact that you went trawling through a site you don't like just to laugh at people getting wound up says more about you then it does them.
Very_Silver_Ownz on 8 May '11 said:
@theaface - The comments I read sounded like fanboys to me besides I was bored so I needed a good laugh
Shamanoid on 8 May '11 said:
HAHAHA
I'm pretty sure Anon will step out now and claim they did it, after all I'm pretty sure nobody will be p**sed!
try4life on 8 May '11 said:
because sony own all right's to them.so it will not cost them a penny to give them away.
tmulford on 8 May '11 said:
I think that they are offering 2 from 5 for PS3 and 2 from 4 for PSP rules out Minis as they would be the same choice.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Warhawk as one of the choices. Starhawk is supposed to be revealed next Friday and a nice bump in Warhawk players would be good publicity. Plus a couple of large downloadable titles for everyone would be a good stress test of the new system. Infamous would be a nice promotion for the sequel that out next month too.
TheCrimsonFenix on 8 May '11 said:
So let's have a look at the probable options for these two free games...
1. A downloadable game from PSN such as Super Stardust which would not be so bad but you'd get the feeling it's not all that special. The ungrateful part is in all of us somewhere.
2. An actual full on game that has at some point been up for download sometime in the past such as Assassin's Creed 1. One that will take about 8gb's of HDD space. Space that a few people will no doubt be short on.
Either way, I bet some of us are going to be thinking "I already own this.."
..and if I see any sign of a headline in the next few days on this sight saying "And Sony's free games are..." accompanied with pictures of either Lair or Haze, I'll be annoyed.
julioaragon on 8 May '11 said:
do you know how long rebuilding a online network takes? mainly a game console? now im going by my brother who has been a tech now for 15 years now dont tell me he doesnt know alot about these situations if you tech people know this too..the psn will be up and running but it will take alot of time to do this...not days or hours,but weeks or maybe months im not choosing sides on either the xbox360 and ps3 but thats the reality.. as for the games which ones will they be?i personally can understand the need to play online ,its a obssesion cause im into the online frenzy too..thank the lord i have a pc and i got xboxlive,if i didnt that those two id be going crazy myself but you ps3 fans you have to deal and get used to playing campain modes on your games until the situation gets resovled..
sakaspuds on 8 May '11 said:
thats great news i'm happy with free games! if flower is on the list get it, everyone should play flower
Sammy_bham on 8 May '11 said:
"likes"
kirankara on 8 May '11 said:
for once Julio u are actually right, but theyre not rebuilding it from scratch like u are suggesting. the basic infrastructure is there, its just being restructured to accommodative further security etc.
so wont take anywhere near that long.
nice try though fan boy
s.a.m on 8 May '11 said:
2 Free games is worth the Two weeks off (even though they WILL be old games)
Plus my A.S revision has really had a boost, and my Tan!
Barca Azul on 9 May '11 said:
That's quite fair of them I think.
I'd put money on a Motorstorm game, uncharted, Flower, something Pixeljunk.
Something to help sell future releases if they have any sense.
julioaragon on 9 May '11 said:
ha ha im glad youre still on here kirankara,id thought youd be banned by now,like i said before without u on here it wouldnt be the same.youve calmed down...good boy
curlycateyes on 9 May '11 said:
i think gt5 will probly be the best game , cos its sonys they dont have to pay a developer , mortal combat would be nice , but i doubt it .. any game they give away will be valueless afterwards anyway so they might end up paying out to some developers aswell . as long as its it none of the minis or other junk from the psn store ill be relatively happy, or maybe a few free stealth cars for gt5 would be cool . as long as the nets back up for BattleField 3 i dont mind waiting ..ive got my life back !!!.. not just that when the psn comes back and the tell every one its ok .. then they get hacked again , you know theres gunna be a hell of alot of knuckleheads waiting to sue the pants off sony , so thier making sure the system is water tight .. to cover thier own backs more than anything else .i wonder if the fat ps3 s will be able to cope with new update.. how many of you considered that factor..lol ..i not a tekky or nerd , i just enjoy playing games ..
more_bots on 9 May '11 said:
What I would like is if more games had bots. The MP of Call of Duty MW2 is pretty much useless now that the PSN is down. I really liked the game but a load of maps with no bots is no good to me as I do not have a very good internet connection. What I want from Sony is more support for offline modes for games.