14 DAY TRIAL // Sony is working hard on bringing back its PlayStation Network service after a hacker attack, and has now revealed that it may not be back online until the end of the month.
Sony was severely affected by the hacker attack that compromised its PlayStation Network, prompting it to shut down the service and rebuild it with extra layers of security.
Since then, almost three weeks have passed, and Sony still hasn't revealed when exactly its service will be back online.
Now, after failing to meet a deadline it set last week, the Japanese company spoke to Bloomberg, saying that, while it doesn't have a concrete date for bringing back the online service, it will be done by May 31.
"When we held the press conference in Japan last week, based on what we knew, we expected to have the services online within a week," spokesperson Nick Caplin revealed yesterday. "We were unaware of the extent of the attack on Sony Online Entertainment servers, and we are taking this opportunity to conduct further testing of the incredibly complex system."
The company claims that last week's breach of its Sony Online Entertainment servers, when the personal information of around 24.6 million users was compromised, brought its PSN restoration process to halt.
"As you've heard us say, our utmost priorities are the security of the network and ensuring your data is safe. We won't restore the services until we can test the system's strength in these respects," Caplin added.
"We know many of you are wanting to play games online, chat with your friends and enjoy all of the services PlayStation Network and Qriocity services have to offer, and trust me when I say we’re doing everything we can to make it happen. We will update you with more information as soon as we have it. We apologize for the delay and inconvenience of this network outage."
Given the statements above, it seems that Sony doesn't want to rush the restoration of its PlayStation Network, even if it means that customers still won't be able to enjoy any online features for their PlayStation 3 or PlayStation Portable devices.