It's been a little while since we've had an official update from Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) since services were suspended last week following the discovery that SOE's systems had also been compromised in last month's attack, but today SOE breaks the silence today with a new update. While today's update doesn't offer a solid date for services restoration, it does provide a list of what SOE will be doing to make up the downtime and security breach to its customers.

Like NA Playstation Network customers, NA SOE customers will also have the option to enroll in the 12-month ALLClear ID Plus identity theft protection service. Similar programs will be offered to users outside of the US. Subscribers to SOE games will also receive 30 free days of game time plus one day for each day services are down. Additionally, each of SOE's games will be offering a series of in-game events and in some cases items as part of a "welcome back" to players. Lifetime and Station Access subscribers will be receiving an allotment of Station Cash as well. Check out the official announcement after the break for all the details.

The update notes that services are expected to be down at least a few more days. So if you're looking for something to do, be sure to browse our game list by clicking "Select an MMO..." located in the upper right corner of the Ten Ton Hammer website. You'll find plenty of subscription and free-to-play games there to keep you busy while the SOE downtime continues.

Source: SOE Update


May 12, 2011

We thank you for your patience as we continue to work around the clock to restore our game services. We know this has been a frustrating time for you and appreciate your understanding as we work to confirm the security of our network.

In light of the recent outage of Sony Online Entertainment's game services due to April's cyber-attack, we are committed to compensating our loyal player base for the inconvenience caused by the data breach and lost game time while we improve our security measures.

We are currently in the process of an extensive upgrade to our network to further protect your information from future attacks. It will likely be at least a few more days before we restore our services, and when we come back online, here is what you can expect for each of our game services.

First and foremost, all impacted players will receive 30 days of game time added to the end of the current billing cycle in addition to one day for each day the system is down. Additionally, many games are offering a variety of in-game items and special events to welcome players back once our services resume (per the outline below). This is true for both PC and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system based products.

  • DC Universe™ Online: Batman™ and Two-Face™ Inspired Masks and 30 Marks of Distinction
  • Free Realms®: Free daily items (7 to collect)
  • Clone Wars Adventures™: Count Dooku v2 Outfit
  • EverQuest®: A series of events, including Double XP, Double Rare Mob Spawns and Double Faction Gains
  • EverQuest II and EverQuest II Extended: A series of events, including Double XP, Double Guild XP, Loot Bonanza, and City Festivals
  • Vanguard: Saga of Heroes®: A series of Double XP events
  • Star Wars Galaxies™: Bounty Hunter Statue, a miniature model of Boba Fett's ship, the Slave I™
  • Magic: The Gathering - Tactics™: Four of each of these spells: "Ivory Mask", "Duress" and "Angelheart Vial", plus 500 Station Cash
  • PoxNora®: Limited edition Carrionling, Welcome Back 5K Gold Award Tournaments and two Draft Tournaments, plus 500 Station Cash


For our lifetime subscribers, we'll grant in-game currency; specifically 20,000 coins for Free Realms, 7,500 Galactic Credits for Clone Wars Adventures and 10 Marks of Distinction for DC Universe Online (in addition to the items listed above).

And finally, our Station Access subscribers will receive 500 Station Cash, in addition to the subscription time and items listed above.

Additionally, we announced today that SOE will provide its U.S.-based Station Account holders with complimentary enrollment in an identity theft protection program through Debix, one of the industry's most reputable identity protection firms. For Station Account holders who live outside the U.S., SOE will be offering similar programs, if and as available, and will provide details as they're confirmed for each country or territory.

We continue to work around the clock to restore SOE's services and thank you for your continued patience as we complete our investigation of this criminal attack.

Thank you,

Sony Online Entertainment


To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Vanguard: Saga of Heroes Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

About The Author

Stacy "Martuk" Jones was a long-time news editor and community manager for many of our previous game sites, such as Age of Conan. Stacy has since moved on to become a masked super hero, battling demons in another dimension.

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