Update: PlayStation’s PSN (not EA) suffering server issues

Update #4, 22 October, 12.41am: It seems that the PlayStation Network is back up for us in South Africa, following a lengthy six-hour spate of downtime. Let us know if PSN is still down for you in the comments section below.

Update #3, 9.54pm: A resourceful Redditor has suggested a fix that seemingly remedies the PlayStation Network’s current DNS issues. It requires users to reconfigure their PlayStation 4’s network settings, changing the DNS to one of OpenDNS’s addresses.

PSA: Use OpenDNS to get back on PSN (11:20am PST) from playstation

While using OpenDNS’s settings does seem to solve the “Internet connection” error, the PlayStation now produces a “currently undergoing maintenance” error instead. I’ve also tried Google’s DNS (8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4) without much avail.

Nevertheless, if you’re really desperate to give it a try, have a look at the embedded post above for more details.

Update #2, 8.47pm: Don’t worry, PlayStation gamers. It’s not just you. It seems that much of the internet is down at present, thanks to a DDoS attack. Read more about it on Memeburn here.

Update #1, 21 October, 4.05pm: Well, here’s a plot twist. It seems that it’s the PlayStation Network at large that has been suffering connection issues, not specifically EA’s servers. The former is currently addressing a few tweets on its Ask PlayStation Twitter account, on the day that Battlefield 1 launched globally.

It seems that many are facing problems with “DNS” issues. If you do happen to have an issue logging into PSN at the moment, we suggest you contact Sony directly.

@CabrejaFreddy Hey Freddy. Please power cycle your network devices and try again: https://t.co/Vp85fRXkHX

— Ask PlayStation (@AskPlayStation) October 21, 2016

Original article: On Battlefield 1‘s big launch day, Electronic Arts is currently facing a few online issues, thanks to a problem between its servers and the PlayStation Network.

Although EA reported that the “intermittent connectivity issues” it experienced Thursday was remedied, today it seems that some new issues have reared their heads. A quick gander over on EA Support’s Twitter account documents the afflicted’s plea for answers.

@AskEASupport we are waiting you to fix connection on ps4
🙂

— Mei Misaki 🌐 (@oN0iD) October 21, 2016

@AskEASupport Are the servers down again?! pic.twitter.com/7PpU2LGi8b

— Ben (@MrBlueDeadpool) October 21, 2016

However, EA is citing “connection problems to the PSN” as the problem.

@matteopera5 There are connection problems to the PSN at the moment, that might be the issue. We are investigating as we speak. -Lars

— EA Support (@AskEASupport) October 21, 2016

Xbox One and PC users are not experiencing issues, according to EA Support.

@mbrianne That has to be a different issue then. The XBOX and PC side of things is OK. Do you get the same error message there? -Lars

— EA Support (@AskEASupport) October 21, 2016

Users as far afield as the Faroe Islands cannot log into Battlefield 1, or if they can indeed log in, the connection drops soon afterwards.

According to Electronic Arts, the issue is down to connection problems with the PlayStation Network

DownDetector, a site that tracks users’ complaints on social media and other sites, notes that the vast majority of the complaints are stemming from Europe and Australia’s south eastern coast, with some in North America, China and the Middle East also affected.

Electronic Arts has notified users of the problem, but there’s currently no ETA on a fix.

@GoRothys We don’t have an ETA, we are still investigating the connection problems. -Lars

— EA Support (@AskEASupport) October 21, 2016

DownDetector also notes that the problem seems to be affecting most games on Electronic Arts’ platform. Along with Battlefield 1, FIFA and Madden players are also currently experiencing problems. According to Reddit, Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 is also affected.

Key information

Time: Around 1pm SAST, Friday
Who? It seems to be related to Dyn’s DNS woes, but PSN and a number of other global services are currently affected
Games: All games that require a PlayStation 4’s internet connection, or PlayStation Network
Platforms: PlayStation 4
ETA: No ETA has been mentioned

EA definitely isn’t a stranger to server problems.

The company has seen two high-profile outages this year, including a DDoS attack by a hacker collective known as PoodleCorp back in September.

It also seems that the internet at large is struggling today, after a massive DDoS attack affected the DNS servers of Dyn, affecting the likes of Twitter, Reddit and even the Starbucks app.

We’ll be sure to update this article as more information is made available.