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Sony Extends PlayStation Plus Membership After Global Outage

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Sony has announced a five-day extension for all PlayStation Plus subscribers following a global outage that disrupted the PlayStation Network (PSN) for nearly 18 hours on Friday and Saturday. The company confirmed that network services had been fully restored by Saturday evening and expressed regret for the inconvenience caused to users.

The outage, which began late on Friday, prevented users from signing in, playing online games, or accessing the PlayStation Store. Sony did not specify the cause of the disruption in its update. At its peak, the outage affected nearly 8,000 users in the U.S. and over 7,300 in the UK, according to Downdetector.com, which tracks service interruptions.

This incident is the latest in a series of PSN outages, though Sony has faced more severe disruptions in the past. A cyberattack in 2014 forced the network offline for several days, and a significant data breach in 2011 compromised the personal information of millions of users, resulting in a month-long service shutdown and a regulatory investigation.

Despite the inconvenience, the extended PlayStation Plus membership is seen as a way to compensate users for the lost time. One user on X (formerly Twitter) humorously remarked that Sony had “saved millions of gamers’ Sunday” after the outage impacted their Saturday.

Roblox Shares Tank After Weak Forecast, Fueling Fears of Slowdown in Gaming

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Shares of Roblox (RBLX.N) plunged by 17% on Thursday after the gaming platform issued a weak forecast for its 2025 bookings, sparking concerns about a slowdown in its growth following years of rapid expansion. The company anticipates bookings to fall between $5.20 billion and $5.30 billion for the year, with the midpoint falling short of analysts’ expectations, which were pegged at $5.27 billion.

The forecast adds to the growing unease within the video game industry, which has been facing sluggish growth. Electronic Arts (EA.O) also recently reported weak bookings, primarily due to its underperforming soccer franchise. However, Roblox’s projected growth still points to a third consecutive year of approximately 20% growth in bookings, even as the broader gaming market struggles with weak consumer spending due to inflation.

Roblox’s Chief Financial Officer, Michael Guthrie, defended the company’s performance, noting that Roblox continues to grow at a rate significantly higher than the overall gaming industry, which grew by just 2.1% in 2024 according to Newzoo. The platform has thrived by expanding into new game genres, especially those targeting older players, and by unlocking new revenue streams through ads and e-commerce. Additionally, Roblox’s free-to-play model and its user-generated content have helped the platform weather the broader gaming slowdown.

Despite the weak forecast, Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter dismissed the market’s reaction, calling it “unwarranted” and “irrational.” He maintained an “outperform” rating on Roblox stock, with a price target of $83, the highest on the street.

Roblox’s daily active users fell to 85.3 million in the fourth quarter, down from 88.9 million in the previous quarter. Bookings for the quarter were $1.36 billion, slightly missing analysts’ estimates of $1.37 billion. Guthrie attributed the weaker results to tough year-over-year comparisons, notably following the PlayStation launch, which drove a surge in new users and spending in the same period last year. He also pointed to the platform’s suspension in Turkey, where Roblox was banned due to safety and child abuse concerns, as another factor impacting growth.

 

EA Forecasts Lower Q4 Bookings Amid Slowdown in Gamer Spending, Announces $1 Billion Share Repurchase

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Electronic Arts (EA) lowered its fourth-quarter bookings forecast on Tuesday, citing weaker-than-expected in-game spending, particularly for its popular “FC 25” soccer franchise. The company now anticipates bookings between $1.44 billion and $1.59 billion for the quarter, below the Wall Street estimate of $1.65 billion. This projection follows a previous reduction in its annual bookings forecast due to a slower-than-expected performance of “FC 25” and its new “Dragon Age” title, exacerbated by the ongoing economic challenges such as high inflation.

Despite the downturn in certain segments, EA remains confident in a recovery, with plans for future growth driven by multiple titles under development, including the next installment of its “Battlefield” series. CEO Andrew Wilson expressed optimism for a return to growth in fiscal year 2026 and beyond. Additionally, EA unveiled a $1 billion share repurchase program, which led to a 3% increase in its share price during extended trading hours.

In a move to enhance its sports offerings, EA recently acquired TRACAB Technologies, a company specializing in tracking technology, to further invest in its sports portfolio, which continues to be a key driver of revenue, particularly in American football titles. EA’s net bookings for sports games, including football, are expected to exceed $1 billion this fiscal year.