Finally there appears to be light at the end of the dark and seemingly never-ending PlayStation Network outage tunnel!
As of a few hours ago, Sony’s phased PSN restoration plan has gone into effect in the Americas, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Middle East, beginning with the reactivation of the following services on a country by country basis:
Currently, the North American PSN relaunch is slowly rolling out state by state, and according to a map Sony has released (pictured at the top of this post) California as well as many southeastern and northeastern states are now operational.
For PS3 users, a preparatory software update (v3.61) is available to download, requiring a forced password reset before PSN access becomes available. Even if service hasn’t been restored in your area yet, be sure to have the update downloaded and installed so you can be ready to sign in and change your password as soon as the servers are switched on.
Restoration plans for Japan and Asian countries are still being worked out, but PSN service is still expected to be fully restored across the globe by the end of May.
Beyond the PlayStation Network, Sony Online Entertainment has also announced that phases restoration is underway to get the company’s forums, websites and game catalog, including EverQuest, EverQuest II, Free Realms, DC Universe Online and others, back online. Similar to the PS3 update, subscribers will be required to reset their passwords before logging in, and to make up for the outage, SOE will be treating all registered Station Account holders to a free subscription extension of 30 days plus one day for each day service was out (which adds up to 45 days total), in addition to other content such as free Station Cash and game-specific items.
A full chart of Sony Online Entertainment’s ‘Welcome Back’ benefits along with the latest PlayStation blog updates regarding the PSN restoration are available at the links below.
Hang in there, guys and gals — we’re almost there!
PS3 System Software Update [PlayStation.Blog]
Kazuo Hirai: PlayStation Network Restoration Announcement [PlayStation.Blog]
Play On – PSN Restoration Begins Now [PlayStation.Blog]
SOE – Welcome Back Program [Sony Online Entertainment]
Matt Litten is the full-time editor and owner of VGBlogger.com. He is responsible for maintaining the day to day operation of the site, editing all staff content before it is published, and contributing regular news, reviews, previews and other articles.
Matt landed his first gig in the video game review business writing for the now-defunct website BonusStage.com. After the sad and untimely close of BonusStage, the former staff went on to found VGBlogger.com. After a short stint as US Site Manager for AceGamez, Matt assumed full ownership over VGBlogger, and to this day he is dedicated to making it one of the top video game blogs in all the blogosphere.
Matt is a fair-minded reviewer and lover of games of all platforms and types, big or small, hyped or niche, big-budget or indie. But that doesn't mean he will let poor games slide without a good thrashing when necessary! 
