Sony: 90% of Subscribers Have Returned

Sony Chief Executive Howard Stringer credited "very loyal" PlayStation Network gamers for flocking back to the service in big numbers, as he sought today to reassure shareholders following a series of embarrassing hacker attacks. The CEO apologized for the data breach in April, which compromised personal data from more than 100 million online gaming and entertainment accounts. Sony was subsequently criticized for lax security, and acting too slowly to inform customers.

Stringer said at an annual shareholders meeting that as many as 90% of subscribers have come back since the Japanese company began restoring service last month. But Sony's stock price has fallen 30% this year. Executives faced harsh questioning from individual shareholders, who expressed frustration and anger over the hack. One man even asked for Stringer to step down. Though his suggestion generated scattered applause, it ultimately went nowhere. (More Sony stories.)