Sony's PlayStation Store has been suspended in mainland China
There's no confirmation on when it's expected to return, either.
The PlayStation Store has been suspended in mainland China.
Right now there's no confirmation on why the Store has been taken offline, although the official word from the Chinese PlayStation Weibo account is that it's been taken down for a security upgrade.
Having gone offline at 7 am this morning local time with little warning, there's no indication of what time - or even what date - the service will resume.
"The PlayStation Store - PSN - has been temporarily suspended in Mainland China from 7 am on May 10. No time or date given for resumption of services," tweeted Daniel Ahmad, an industry analyst. "The official reason given is to carry out security upgrades. But it is unclear what this means exactly.
The PlayStation Store (PSN) has been temporarily suspended in Mainland China from 7am on May 10. No time or date given for resumption of services.
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) May 10, 2020
The official reason given is to carry out security upgrades. But it is unclear what this means exactly. pic.twitter.com/ZoU71zR9tX
"The only reason I'm posting is this, and I kid you not, is because an Xbox fanboy claimed on [Twitter-like micro-blogging site for China, Weibo] that they reported to authorities about certain back door elements that are easily accessible to switch to overseas services," Ahmad added. "Was taken down right after. So let's see what happens."
When asked if "security updates" might be a thinly-veiled excuse to "search for games that [threaten] China's policies", Ahmad added: "The China store only has officially approved games. If anything it's to investigate possible back doors for overseas PSN services."
Right now there's no evidence that Sony's online store has been compromised but as always, we'll keep you posted.