A wave of PS4 and PS5 users have found their PlayStation Network accounts permanently suspended for no obvious reason.
As reported by The Verge, social media bubbled with complaints on December 4 as users reported they could no longer access their PlayStation Network accounts, and IGN similarly received several reports from players claiming the same.
"This account is permanently suspended from PlayStation Network due to violations of the PlayStation Network Terms of Service and User Agreement," read the message delivered to X/Twitter user Michael Dhaliwal, below, who also claimed they can't appeal the decision. Customer service also allegedly told Dhaliwal to just create a new account before disconnecting them, without offering any assistance or explanation otherwise.
Without any notice, @PlayStation / @AskPlayStation permanently banned me from the #PlayStation Network. No one knows why! I don't have a chargeback, I can't appeal & no response to suspension status. CS says to create a new account & disconnected me.#sony #psn #gaming #ps5 pic.twitter.com/YdoeHM76Iv
— Michael Dhaliwal (@michaeldhaliwal) December 4, 2023
While there are plenty of legitimate reasons to have a PlayStation account permanently suspended, the wave of users affected claim to not know why it happened. This led many to believe this is just a bug, but PlayStation is yet to comment on the issue.
It is very serious if the permanent suspension is accidental, of course, as while it's easy to make a new PlayStation account, there is no way to bring over purchases from another account. Any games, DLC, or digital credit owned by the player previously would therefore be lost.
IGN has reached out to PlayStation for comment.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.