Comment Sony is adding a free rewards and loyalty program for gamers called PlayStation Stars. The program will launch “later this year,” the company said, though specific details about the rollout timeline remain under wraps. Players can use PlayStation Stars to earn rewards by completing tasks, called a “campaign”, such as spending time on a specific title or working towards in-game achievements. “We really think this is the best time to start this kind of program, in terms of having the healthiest player base, the PlayStation 5, obviously, is a huge success and we really wanted to do something that can honor and celebrate the history of PlayStation, and now is the best time to do it,” Grace Chen, vice president of online advertising, engagement and licensed merchandise, told The Washington Post. “We wanted to create a program that celebrates that journey and the role PlayStation can play in someone’s life. We wanted to do this in a way that only PlayStation can.” The program was named after stars because Sony liked their meaning of being unbound and limitless, which is in line with PlayStation’s slogan that “gaming has no limits.” Later this year, it will be released in regions around the world, including Asia, the Americas, Europe and more. Chen said that PlayStation Stars will not compete with Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft’s video game subscription service, and that the program is intended to appeal to both new and veteran gamers. “It’s beneficial for all players. Obviously, for players who have been on PlayStation for a long time and have been in this game with us, we want to be able to recognize them and reward them in different ways, but there will be many aspects to this program. Customers will also enjoy,” Chen said. These are the best games to play on PlayStation 5 All players will earn reward points that can be redeemed for PlayStation Network wallet funds (and thus exchanged for real-world items). Gamers who are also subscribed to Sony’s PlayStation Plus online service will earn extra points to spend at the PlayStation Store, a perk that non-subscribers will miss out on. Players can redeem points for standalone games, add-on content, and themed collectibles in the reward catalog. Sony plans to add new rewards, campaigns and collectibles over time. While Sony was tight-lipped about details about the program, it said there will be a monthly check-in campaign that rewards users for playing at least one game, as well as other campaigns for winning tournaments and earning certain trophies. . Other campaigns may ask players to play a specific game online. PlayStation’s announcement echoes a larger shift in the entertainment realm toward subscription models and more consumer-facing initiatives. “As a wide range of entertainment services move to subscriptions, engagement is emerging as a critical metric,” said Joost van Dreunen, a lecturer in the business of games at New York University’s Stern School of Business. “By incentivizing players to check in regularly and making their subscription more visible, Sony will likely improve retention and brand loyalty. It will prove key at a time when inflation and economic recession will weigh on consumer spending on games.” As part of PlayStation Stars, the first player to reach platinum — completing all in-game achievements — in a blockbuster title in a local time zone will also receive a reward, barring others from earning it. Chen said the company will work to minimize fraudulent activities in case people cheat or buy and sell accounts with certain rewards. Another type of reward that Sony offers is digital collectibles, which are 3D renderings of things like figurines of video game characters and older Sony devices. Some will be extremely rare and difficult to obtain. They are not non-tradable tokens, even though they are also digital and collectible. “Definitely not an NFT. Definitely no. You cannot trade or sell them. It does not leverage any blockchain technology and certainly not NFTs,” Chen said.
