Sony changes procedure for banning offensive PSN IDs

Back in the olden days, before players could swap out their outdated PSN ID for a new one of their choosing, Sony used to have to outright ban accounts with offensive titles. Now, however, in this modern age of name-swapping frivolity, it seems a new and less draconian solution has emerged.

Sony has, according to its new terms of service, put forth a new method for dealing with offensive PSN IDs whereby scandalous account names are now switched out for temporary IDs. Now, according to Gamasutra, players who go for a name change that gets flagged as inappropriate will automatically get a new one that reads "TempXXXX". After that, they'll have to either choose a new ID that doesn't violate Sony's terms or revert back to the original.

The PSN ID name change was a much-requested feature, but it does come with potential consequences. Sony has issued a list of games that can be affected by an ID change, with some games having potentially "critical" issues in the event of a swap. For details on the games that can be affected and to what extent, and for more details about the process itself, head here.