It’s been three years since the big PlayStation Network hacking incident that saw the PSN having to be shut down for 24 days and the personal information of 77 million users stolen. While Sony ran the Welcome Back promotion that saw users get free games and a free month of PlayStation Plus, the lawyers have decided that wasn’t enough and now Sony will be paying up to $15 million in damages as a result of the PSN hacking incident of 2011.

The settlement will see PlayStation Network users get three free perks from Sony. Users can choose a free PS3 or PSP game from a list of fourteen games, three PS3 themes from a list of six and a three-month free subscription to PlayStation Plus. Users who took part in Sony’s Welcome Back campaign in 2011 will get to choose two of the three perks available.

In addition to the gamer perks, the settlement includes up to $2,500 in monetary compensation for gamers. In order to qualify, users must show that their identity was compromised in a way that “more likely than not… directly and proximately resulted from the PSN Intrusion or the SOE Intrusion and not from any other source.” They also qualify for damages if they stopped gaming on PSN since the hacking, lost time for using a Qriocity subscription or were registered in a Sony Online Entertainment game.

For their part, despite settling, Sony denies any actions on their part resulted in the PSN being hacked but decided to settle because of the anticipated costs of litigation which would likely include a “battle of the experts.” They also claim that no one has come forward with any claims of identity theft or stolen credit cards. If that’s the case, they may not have to give out too much in monetary compensation.

The settlement still needs to be approved by a judge before it’s official. When that happens, Sony will open up an application process for eligible persons to make a claim.

Source: Ars Technica