Sony's month-long adventure which started with the unexpected shutdown of the company's PlayStation Network and Sony Online Entertainment services — and ended with the rebuilding and relaunch of both — cost the company approximately $171 million. Sony revealed the figure in an updated investor forecast which estimates a $3.2 billion overall loss for the company in the quarter ending March 31 — most of which was due to the massive earthquake and tsunami that decimated the company's Japanese operations.
The $171 million that the company attributes to the network downtime encompasses everything associated with the security breach including lost revenue, customer support, a full network security overhaul, and even legal fees. The figure also covers the projected cost of the company's "Welcome Back" program, a goodwill gesture that will offer free games to affected users.
Along with the financial statistics, Sony noted that there have been no reports of actual identity theft associated with customer information compromised in the attack. However, if you are a PSN subscriber, you should still take every precaution to avoid any unpleasant identity issues down the road.
Via Joystiq
