The PlayStation Network was down on Jan. 4 for about 12 hours, when gamers experienced issues on all platforms worldwide. Many subscribers to the online gaming network were unable to play and purchase games.
While some games can be played offline, there are several titles, including popular games such as The Elder Scrolls Online and Destiny, which are online-only multiplayer games. As such, gamers looking to play these games at the time were out of luck and had to wait for the issue to be resolved.
It took Sony half a day to fix the issue, and to apologize for the lost time, it has sent codes to PlayStation Plus users for a free one-day extension to their subscriptions.
The codes, which PlayStation Plus users can redeem by signing in to their accounts, will be applied to their current membership. The message sent by the PlayStation Network added that the extension has been granted to all accounts that were active on the date of the downtime.
The message also said that the voucher codes can only be redeemed until March 31, 11:59 p.m. PST (April 1, 2:59 a.m. EST).
A Reddit discussion thread on the matter has one user complaining how the PlayStation Network sent out extensions for PlayStation Plus subscriptions through codes, and did not simply extend all subscriptions. A user chimed in by saying that perhaps the move was made to prevent errors on the part of the PlayStation Network when it comes to extending subscriptions for longer periods of time.
Another user mentioned that the use of codes would be easier on the finances for Sony. Not all users will be able to redeem the code, and some might not be even aware that there was a downtime.
Another Reddit user even did the math and found that, considering the number of users who purchased a one-year membership for PlayStation Plus, the one-day extension only translates to a bonus equivalent to 13.7 cents. In the supermarket, the user wrote, the code was equivalent to a 0.3 percent extra free offer, but with the requirement of the customer handing over a coupon.
Nevertheless, a free day is still a free day, and it only takes minutes to redeem the code. In addition, it is a nice gesture from Sony to acknowledge the network issue and attempt to ease the frustrations experienced by gamers during that time.
Photo: Fe Ilya | Flickr
