Lost Connection to the Network as soon as game loads

I have just started playing Bloodborne today, and for some reason, as soon as I load my game, I get an error message:

Lost connection to the network. Returning to title menu.

I was playing this same game last week with no problems, I currently have not internet connectivity issues, but for some reason, when I select online mode, the menu comes up, I can check when the next maintenance will occur (at time of posting, scheduled another week from now - and also mentions that the option to play Online will not be available), but when I choose to "continue", as soon as the game loads, I lose connectivity, and am kicked back to the title screen.

Whats causing this?

This might be a PSN issue. You can check the Playstation network status here, where it currently shows issues in the "Gaming and Social" area.

Affected platforms: PS Vita, PS3, PS4, PS5

Affected services: You might have difficulty launching games, apps or network features. We're working to resolve the issue as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience.

Start: 27/02/2021, 00:33