To the dismay of many, on February 7, 2025, PSN experienced around 24 hours of downtime. From 6pm EST on the 7th to around 6pm EST on the 8th, nobody around the world could access their PlayStation accounts and enjoy a game online with their friends. Thanks to this, fears of another data breach like the one from 2011 arose. Many took to X to vent their frustrations. Now that the PSN downtime is over, Sony has officially offered compensation. Unfortunately, it isn’t good enough for the fans.
Back in 2011, the PlayStation Network went down for approximately 24 days. During this PSN blackout, players were unable to access any of their online games or make changes to their accounts. As compensation, Sony offered 30 days of PlayStation Plus to all PlayStation users as well as some free games. The compensation now, however, is a bit more lackluster.
Sony offers lackluster compensation for PSN downtime
Sony posted on the AskPlayStation X account about the PSN downtime experienced between February 7 and February 8, 2025. The post reads, “Network services have fully recovered from an operational issue. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank the community for their patience. All PlayStation Plus members will automatically receive an additional 5 days of service.”
This immediately didn’t sit well with PlayStation users as many responded with concerns about it being an “operational issue.” On top of that, many also stated that there should be better compensation than “5 days of service” for existing PlayStation Plus members. A poll created by Majestato on X says, “VOTE: What you want?” with three options listed; “5 days of service, 1 free game, or transparency of issue.”
Over 59% who have responded to the poll have said that they want a free game as compensation similar to what Sony offered back in 2011. Just over 30% said that they want Sony to be more transparent about the issue instead of labeling it as an “operational issue.”
One user said, “What does 5 days of service actually mean? Give fans 1 free game of their choice.” Another said, “I think I’m gonna skip my five days of service and subscribe to XBOX FOR A MONTH. I HATE XBOX. BUT THEY HAVE NEVER HAD AN OUTAGE LIKE THIS. 2011. AND 2025. GET IT TOGETHER SONY. XBOX IS COMING OVER TO EAT YOUR LUNCH. LIVE SERVICE DOESN’T WORK WHEN YOU HAVE NO SERVICE.” One more user simply wanted transparency saying, “We are more angry about the fact that you didn’t communicate with us than the actual problem happening.”
