PlayStation network has been shut down after cyber-attackers overloaded it in what’s known as a distributed denial of service attack.
Sony said in a blog post that no personal information had been accessed.
On August 24, an American Airlines flight carrying a senior Sony executive was also diverted following a bomb scare.
The group claiming responsibility for closing down the network also tweeted suggesting there was a security threat to the flight.
Sony also said that “the PlayStation Network and Sony Entertainment Network have been impacted by an attempt to overwhelm our network with artificially high traffic”.
PlayStation network has been shut down after cyber-attackers overloaded it in what’s known as a distributed denial of service attack
“We will continue to work towards fixing this issue and hope to have our services up and running as soon as possible,” the blog said.
Sony has said the FBI is investigating the security scare over the flight carrying Sony Online Entertainment President John Smedley, which should have landed in San Diego but was diverted to Phoenix, Arizona.
John Smedley tweeted: “Yes. My plane was diverted. Not going to discuss more than that. Justice will find these guys.”
Sony’s 52 million strong PlayStation network has been hit by hacking attacks before, including a security breach in 2011.
Sony had already scheduled routine maintenance work to be done on its PlayStation network on August 25.
Some services including PlayStation Store, PSN account management and registration, entertainment services and online gameplay will be unavailable.
Sony has signed a partnership with China’s Shanghai Oriental Pearl to manufacture and sell its PlayStation consoles on the mainland.
The deal, formed as two joint ventures with Shanghai Oriental Pearl, gives Sony access to an estimated 500 million gamers in China.
China has had a ban on gaming consoles since 2000, citing their adverse effect on the mental health of young people.
Sony has signed a partnership with China’s Shanghai Oriental Pearl to manufacture and sell its PlayStation consoles on the mainland
In January, the Chinese government said it will allow foreign firms to manufacture and sell consoles.
China’s gaming market, which is currently dominated by PC, mobile and online games, is seen as a key growth area for console makers.
The two partnerships are both with Shanghai Oriental Pearl, one gives Sony a 70% share and the other a 49% stake and both will operate out of Shanghai’s free trade zone.
In a statement to the Shanghai Stock Exchange, an executive from Shanghai Oriental Pearl says: “The joint venture will be based on the relevant state policies and will introduce quality and healthy video games that will adhere to China’s national conditions as well as the tastes of Chinese gamers.
“Sony will also co-operate with domestic game development teams to promote original products on PlayStation platform, while further improving the Chinese gaming industry.”
Last week Sony said it aimed to nearly triple operating profits by next year.
Sony’s game console join venture comes nearly one month after rival Microsoft said its Xbox One game console will go on sale in China in September.