Sony’s PlayStation Network (PSN) suffered a 24-hour outage over the weekend, leaving gamers unable to play most of their games. The company remained silent during the issue, fueling frustration among fans. When the servers were finally restored, Sony offered an extra five days of PS Plus membership as compensation.
While this may seem like a reasonable deal at first glance, it falls short for many subscribers. Those who cancel their subscription in three years’ time will likely not even realize they have additional days to use. Non-subscribers, such as those playing free-to-play multiplayer games or single-player titles without a subscription, received nothing.
Sony’s response could have been improved by being more communicative during the outage and offering a fun giveaway to mitigate the issue. However, the company’s handling of the crisis has further eroded trust among gamers. This incident is part of a larger trend of unforced errors on the PlayStation side, with examples including an account crisis that nearly sunk Helldivers 2.
A more effective approach would have been for Sony to offer bonuses for signing up for a PS Plus account, as recently announced for PC games. This could have helped to address concerns and improve user experience.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2025/02/11/sonys-psn-server-outage-compensation-just-adds-insult-to-injury