Playstation 3 console game players who have being waiting for the Playstation Network online service to be restored may be waiting much longer than originally anticipated. A report on Bloomberg claims that Sony is now saying that the online network, which has been down for nearly three weeks, won"t be fully restored before the end of May.
The report uses a Japanese Sony spokesperson, Shigenori Yoshida, as its source, saying that the company "is uncertain when it can resume the services" to the Playstation Network along with the Qriocity online music services. The report adds that Sony is still putting in an improved security system for the network which Sony shut down on April 20 after a cyber attacks by hackers that exposed the personal info of tens of millions of its users.
Sony has previously said that at least some of the Playstation Network"s services would come back online by the end of last week. However on Friday it backed away from that target relaunch date, with a spokesperson saying that Sony was "still working to confirm the security of the network infrastructure, as well as working with a variety of outside entities to confirm with them of the security of the system." Sony has blamed the hacker group Anonymous for the cyber attacks that shut down both the Playstation Network and the MMO servers of Sony Online Entertainment. While the official line from Anonymous has been to deny causing the attacks, others believe that members of the group were indeed involved in some way.
Update: The Bloomberg Report was apparently in error; Sony is now saying there is still no firm date for the relaunch of the Playstation Network