"We're aware that some of you are experiencing trouble signing in to Xbox Live, and we want you to know we’re working to address this as quickly as we possibly can. Thanks for your patience! We’ll update you on our progress in a half hour."- said in a statement Xbox Live, which shows the status of the system as a "limited worker ". At the same time, PlayStation Network has been disabled, and the system status on the page contains a similar warning about the servers` unavailability.
Gaming platforms' malfunction happened during the Christmas, when the servers’ operating load especially high and amid the Sony hack scandal.
In late November, some two weeks before the planned premiere of "The Interview", a comedy about a fictional CIA assassination attempt on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Sony Pictures Entertainment was subject to a cyber attack which resulted in massive theft of internal company information.
On December 19, the FBI officially placed the blame for the attack on North Korea, stating that the tools used to hack Sony had similarities with attacks carried out by North Korea against South Korean media and banks the previous year.
North Korea lashed out against the film, claiming it hurt "the dignity of the supreme leadership of the DPRK", but denied responsibility for the hacking.
