Welcome Back Content Is Available Now; Frequently Asked Questions Answered

With the PlayStation Store back online, we’ve been getting all caught up this week, having launched an abundance of amazing content for download on PlayStation 3 and PSP. Today, we’re excited to launch the Welcome Back program to thank you for your loyalty and below we’ve detailed what is available, how to go about downloading it and a list of frequently asked questions.

Thanks again for your patience and understanding as we restored the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services – your support has meant a lot to us and is greatly appreciated.

Q: What’s in the Welcome Back Program?
A: To start, all PSN members who had signed up before the outage (April 21, 2011) will be able to select two free games for the PS3 and two free games for the PSP.

For PS3 owners, go to the ‘Welcome Back’ section in the PlayStation Store, and select 2 titles from the following list:

• Dead Nation
• inFAMOUS
• LittleBigPlanet
• Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty
• Wipeout HD + Fury

For PSP owners, go to the ‘Welcome Back’ section of PlayStation Store on your PSP system and select 2 titles from the following list:

• LittleBigPlanet (PSP)
• ModNation Racers
• Pursuit Force
• Killzone Liberation

*For the German market, InFamous and Dead Nation will be replace with Super Stardust HD and Hustle Kings in the selection of PS3 games. Pursuit Force and Killzone Liberation will be replaced with Everybody’s Golf 2 and Buzz Junior Jungle Party in the selection of PSP games. Killzone Liberation will not offer online gameplay functionality.

How to claim your free games

• Go to PlayStation Store from the XMB
• Click on the Welcome Back banner on the Storefront or the Latest tab

• Go into the Welcome Back category and select the ‘PlayStation 3 Free Games’ item, and then select ‘Get Now’ on the following screen

• You will be taken back to the Welcome Back section where you will be able to select your two free games
• These instructions are applicable to both PS3 and PSP

In addition, we’re giving free access to our premium subscription service, PlayStation Plus, which includes free games, huge discounts, exciting exclusives and added features like online storage and automatic downloads, to all PSN members for 30 days at no charge, requiring no long term commitment. As with the games above, go to the PlayStation Store and under the ‘Welcome Back’ section, select ‘PlayStation Plus: 30 Days Free’, and you’ll be given access to all of the benefits of PlayStation Plus. Note that this will not auto-renew and simply expires 30 days after activation.

Current Plus subscribers had an extra 60 days added to their existing subscription at no charge. For current Plus subscribers, no action is needed as the 60 days have automatically been added to your subscription. Another additional 10 days will be added to your subscription in a few days’ time.

PlayStation Network users will also get a large number of free virtual items in PlayStation Home as a show of appreciation for your patience while Home was inaccessible. More information and will be available in the near future, so watch out for any announcements from the PlayStation Home team.

A selection of “On Us” movie rentals are currently available to PlayStation Network customers this weekend only, where Video Service is available.

Finally, current Music Unlimited Premium subscription members will receive an additional 60 days of free premium subscription. Any Music unlimited free trial users who were affected by the outage will receive 30 days of service.

Q: When will I have access to the Welcome Back Program?
A: The content offered as part of the Welcome Back Program is available for download today and will be available for 30 days.

Q: I have both PS3 and PSP. Does this mean I will get 4 games all together?
A: Yes, as long as you were a PSN member before April 20, 2011, you’ll be able to receive up to 4 games based on the titles listed above; 2 on each platform.

Q: Are there any limitations to the PS3 and PSP games we are receiving for free as part of the Welcome Back Program?
A: None. These games are yours to keep.

Q: I no longer have the option to choose my free Welcome Back games. What can I do?
A: If you navigate away from the Welcome Back section of the store without choosing your free games or exit the store completely you may need to follow the below in order to choose and download your free games.

1. On your PlayStation 3 or PlayStation Portable navigate to the PlayStation Network icon on the XMB
2. Log into your PlayStation Network account and choose Account Management > Transaction Management > Services List
3. Choose “PlayStation Network Promotions” from the list of services displayed
4. Select either “PS3 Free Games” or “PSP Free Games” and then choose “Select Content”

You will be taken to the store to choose your remaining free games.

Q: When does the 30 days of my PlayStation Plus access expire?
A: Your PlayStation Plus 30 day access will expire 30 days from the date you activated it in PlayStation Store.

Q: Do I get to keep the free games in PlayStation Plus forever?
A: Content that is free in PlayStation Plus will not be available after your PlayStation Plus time has expired. However, if you decide to join PlayStation Plus, you’ll have access to all of the content you downloaded during your 30 day access for as long as you are a subscriber.

Q: Do I get to keep any games or content I purchased with the PlayStation Plus discount?
A: Yes. Any content you purchase at a discount is yours to keep, regardless of your subscription status.

Q: What content will be in PlayStation Plus when I activate my 30 days?
A: A full list of available PlayStation Plus content and discounts for our Welcome Back customers was detailed on the blog earlier this week.

Q: Where can I find the Welcome Back content in Home?
A: We are still putting our Welcome Back content for Home together and will communicate this soon. Check back here for more details – our aim is to give away content that has not been available before.

Remember, if you didn’t see your question answered above, drop us a line below and we’ll do our best to answer it. Welcome Back!