PS3 Playstation Store likely to be back online tonight

More than one month after Sony had to shut it down over hacking concerns, the Playstation Store may be relaunched today.

Sony penned a message on an official European Playstation site to alert users that all Playstation Network services will be disabled for eight hours later today, and the most logical connection is it will use that time to get the digital download platform back up to speed.

Further fueling that speculation are reports from last week that claimed developers were receiving an e-mail from Sony to confirm a May 24 relaunch.

For the last month, all developers and publishers who had scheduled digital PS3 and PSP game releases through the service had to just sit around while Sony worked to revamp the console’s security features.

While it restored online gaming services several days ago, the store has remained offline because of the added concerns over user credit card information linked to the system.

It’s rumored that instead of posting all the backlogged content today, Sony will be splitting them between updates today, Friday, and then next Tuesday and next Friday as well.

When the store does come back online, users will be able to download two PS3 and two PSP games from a limited selection for free, and will also be enrolled in the premium Playstation Plus service – which offers digital freebies and discounts on many other games – for 30 days at no charge.

This is the company’s attempt to reimburse users for the massive inconvenience caused by the huge security attack.