Today Sony’s Welcome Back plan, designed to encourage PSN users to rejoin the service post the PSN outage, actually expired. A number of folks who hadn’t taken note of that fact got a bit angry and stamped their feet a bit. The end result? The deadline for the Welcome Back plan has been extended.
You now have until 9am Pacific July 5 to get downloading. It’s a timely reminder for folks who were perhaps waiting for a clean cap of internet juices in order to use the hefty amount of bandwidth required for some of the games.
This may be a good time to ask – what games did you guys choose from the Welcome Back plan? I was in the fortunate/unfortunate position of already owning every game offered – but I would have mostly recommended folk to get LittleBigPlanet and possibly InFamous.
What did you guys choose?
I went for Infamous and Dead Nation. Very happy with Dead Nation, haven't actually tried Infamous yet. Will get to that after I finish Dead Space 2 (hopefully this week!). My original evil scheme was to get those two, and then go grab Ratchet and Clank using my US account (already had LBP and WipeOut). Trouble is I went on the US Store and they weren't offering R&C, instead they had Super Stardust HD which I already had. Curses!
You'd think by now that everybody would have already redeemed their stuff if they were going to, wouldn't they? Even if you didn't have enough on your quota, you can still activate it now and download it later, can't you?
The problem was that alot of the Americans (this is where is seemed to stem from) had purposely waited to redeem the PS+ part of the offer til the last day, because they were looking to take advantage of the July offers and they would have also got 1 update into August also.
Ultimately, it was pulled a day early, but at the same time if it weren't for a line in the original FAQ, which went along the lines of, after this date (3rd), meaning that 3rd was inclusive. Otherwise it was stated that it expired 3rd, so the 2nd would have been the last day.
Also...
http://www.vertigogaming.net/HUD/originals/yournotwelcomedback.jpg
I lol'd
Thank god, I haven't downloaded my games yet. The only one that I'm interested in and don't already own is Dead Nation. And I'll probably get WipeOut HD just cause it's free.
I got Dead Nation, Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty, Infamous and LittleBigPlanet. Lucky I had more than one PSN account.
I heartily recommend Wipeout HD too, but I already bought it =)
Infamous, Wipeout HD, Killzone Liberation and Pursuit Force. Haven't started playing any of them :/
Between the wife and I, we had enough accounts so we didn't have to choose. :P
Just checked and it's not working for me. While the welcome back package is still listed on the store I'm unable to access it, no matter how hard or fast I mash the X button.
I already grabbed Dead Nation but I figured I may as well grab Wipeout. Oh well. Probably wouldn't have played it for more then 5 minutes anyway.
Go via Account Settings > Services (Or something like that)
You need to look up the FAQ to get around that
Account Settings -> Redeem Vouchers -> Welcome Back
Go to your Account Management > Transaction Management> Services List and it should be there under welcome back package or something, select it and it should take you to the games list where you can pick your second game
I have no services listed there >.< Any help please? Yes I've had a ps3 for like 4 years.
You can still access it, but you'll have to go the back way- Account settings, activity, etc. Then you'll find the link to it.
Wow. Should've reloaded the page before I hit send...
Does that go for the Playstation Plus bit aswell?
How could people miss it? lol
Picked up wipeout myself, already own the rest :(
Well this is good news for me, I hadn't got it yet because I already have wipeout, lbp, and infamous. Wasn't stuffed with super stardust/Deadnation.
Though now I only just found out we have R&C instead :O silly me.
How do I do this? I've gone into the PSN store and clicked the welcome back pack, but all is listed is some psn+ stuff, no free games. I don't know how to get the free PSN+ either :S Help?
Gee I'm glad I got it when I did. I was expecting it to expire, but I couldn't find any information on WHEN it actually expired. Luckily you can "purchase" the games in the welcome back pack now, and download them later.
Picked up, inFamous and Ratchet & Clank, I already own both physical and digital copies of LBP and WipEout, owned Dead Nation already, so I completely the digital set!
there was also Hustle Kings on offer if you had a German account instead of Dead nation i think?
So in short, have an australian, american, japan, EU, and a german account to cover all of the freebie bases ;)
Dead Nation & LittleBigPlanet.
I'm running a little low on my download quota so I started the download which also activated the game - then I'll just resume it next rollover.
I can confirm it does NOT work on the Australian PSN if you haven't already redeemed your games. So once again, we get the shaft.
FML.
Agreed, hadn't updated my PS since the downtime. Saw the article so jumped on to try it and it isn't there, even through the account settings. =(
Same here. With without internet access for the past couple of months, finally got back online today. Saw this article and quickly got onto PSN to get my freebies, only to find no mention anywhere on PS Store of the Welcome Back package. Looked at all the advice I could find online (Account Settings, etc, etc), but I also have a blank services page. Feeling pretty short-changed right now...
Me as well. Didn't bother updating my PS3 since PSN came back up because couldn't be arsed, also because PSN was getting hammered at the time. Didn't even realise there was a deadline, because there's no reason for it to exist.
Considering contacting Sony regarding this, I generally don't make a stink about such things, but this is supposed to be to tempt be back onto their service. There are stories of MS being kind to mistakes, I wonder if Sony AU would do anything?
I finally got round to going on and resetting my poor dusty PSN account to do this and get my swag and then;
"Site Maintenance Notice
The server is currently down for maintenance.
We apologize for the inconvenience. Please try again later."
Damn you Sony!!
Same here. Friend recommends I reset password using PSP. I do so.
"We've reset your password and sent you an email. Please finish the process using a PC."
Against all odds I manage to do so, despite having been unable to do so through the normal storefront. I try logging in.
"The server is currently down for maintenance.
We apologize for the inconvenience. Please try again later."
What a classy pack of malfeasants. They really couldn't organise a piss-up in a brewery.
Ahoy! I got around to doing this a few days ago.
If you login to your account through this link http://au.playstation.com/profile/
You'll get the email that links you to the password reset page. The actual page they set up to reset passwords has been boned for a while it seems. Typical Sony, horrible, unintuitive software interface design.
It doesn't actually seem to be extended in Australia. My Australian account (which has been around for over 2 years) has no mention of Welcome Back on the PSN Store since around 3ish today; I made a US account just now, and Welcome Back is still splashed all over the front page (but, of course, I can't access any of the games).
Never mind I was out for a couple of months of online play or online Blu Ray features. Since I'm in what Sony see as an apparently third world country and didn't find out about the offer until the so called 'extension', can't get anything from it. Thanks Sony, it reminds me not to spend money on anything of yours in the future.
Yup, no go for the Australian PSN.
Shafted as usual.
I dunno Mark. It isn't working at all, no Welcome Back page and nothing is redeeming. I looked on the link of the twitter account and it goes to the SCEA(merica) so maybe it's just for North America. If so then I'm still going to be pissed
Downloaded Infamous/Ratchet and Clank a week ago precisely because I knew there will be thousands of people downloading at the 11th hour after being reminded by articles like this.
Still yet to get around to them.
this sucks!
didnt know it was going to expire.
tried getting the games but its not in the store anymore and not in the Account Management >Service List....
Any word on this Mark?
I was told today about the welcome back package, when I got home I went to do it and then I realised it ended yesterday, but then I looked further and it said I had one more day.. So why can't I find my welcome back package?
Im in the same boat as Troy.
I hopped on and couldn't locate it either.
And as usual their website is no help.
Well done sony this is why my PS3 gathers dust and i refuse to sign up to your playstation plus.
I had no idea there was an expiry date at all. In fact I think it is incredibly poor form, and just plain wrong to place an expiry date on gifts that are provided on the basis that the company is apologizing.
This isn't just "hey free gifts! get em while they're hot!"
It's "Sorry about the lack of service you expected, please accept this with our gratitude."
Hell I was in another country for the last month and so I was lucky that when I got back yesterday I managed to download my games!
I didn't get my email telling me about the Welcome Back Pack from Sony until the 27th of June. The email directs me to the welcome back page that tells me I have 30 days to download my free games.
When did others get their email?
27th of June
I got an email on the 27th that said I had thirty days too.
The bottom of the email says "Don't forget - the offers in this newsletter expire on 06.07.11". I thought it was a bit strange that the date wasn't thirty days away. Still haven't got to that date anyway. Guess I should have just jumped onto my PS3 when I noticed it was a little funny...