Not being able to change your PSN ID might be an annoyance for some players. For one PSN user though, it’s become a whole lot more. A PSN user’s account deleted by Sony was created eight years ago.
The reason why? Violation of the terms of the PlayStation Network.
Presumably, someone reported the account name and brought it to Sony’s attention. Reddit user tiago28peixoto‘s PSN ID was KingMADAFAKA, which while potentially a little offensive, doesn’t seem to be a violation. In his post on Reddit he writes;
This morning I received an e-mail from PlayStation informing me that my account was permanently banned due to violations of the PlayStation Network Terms.
Of course they didn’t bother to inform me in the e-mail why exactly I was banned so I had to call PlayStation Support. In that call they told me that my account I was banned for life because my online ID violates the Code of Conduct.
My online ID is (was) KingMADAFAKA. I admit that it is a stupid username, but I created when I was only 12. I asked them if there was a way to change the username in order not to loose every game that I had on my account (my FIFA account was amazing, I had a really good Ultimate Team) and all the money that I invested in the account.
They said that I can not change the online ID, therefore my account is banned for life and I have to create a new one from scratch. Is it really fair to ban someone for a username that PlayStation accepted 8 years ago? Can someone please help me?
While in some cases it might not be such a big deal, like on Xbox Live, on PSN since users are unable to change their ID, their account is wiped clean and lost. A PSN user’s account deleted by Sony is gone for good.
There have been some instances of Sony being able to transfer purchases across to new IDs, but this appears to be done on a case by case basis.
Even Nintendo gives users the ability to change their usernames. Every so often Sony will mention that it’s looking into allowing ID changes, but so far, nothing has ever come of it.
Here’s hoping your ID doesn’t have the potential to be banned.
