Sony announces PlayStation Stars loyalty program with ‘digital collectibles’

Sony will launch a new loyalty program aimed at PlayStation customers later this year called PlayStation Stars, which will reward players with points that can be used on the PlayStation Store and a new feature the company is calling “digital collectibles.”

Joining PlayStation Stars is free, Sony said in an announcement post on the PlayStation Blog. Players can then earn rewards by doing a “monthly check-in” by playing a game on a PlayStation platform and completing “a variety of campaigns and activities,” including tournaments and trophy-based challenges. One example of such a challenge to is to “be the first player to platinum a blockbuster title in your local time zone.”

PlayStation Stars members can earn loyalty points that can be redeemed for “PSN wallet funds and select PlayStation Store products,” Sony Interactive Entertainment VP Grace Chen said. Members can also earn a new type of reward, the aforementioned digital collectibles, which Chen described as “digital representations of things that PlayStation fans enjoy, including figurines of beloved and iconic characters from games and other forms of entertainment, as well as cherished devices that tap into Sony’s history of innovation.”

In an interview with The Washington Post, Chen said PlayStation Stars’ digital collectibles are “definitely not NFTs,” the virtual goods and artwork that utilize blockchain technology and cryptocurrency. PlayStation Stars is not leveraging the blockchain, and digital collectibles cannot be traded or sold, Chen explained.

Sony says it plans to do a phased regional rollout of the PlayStation Stars program.

Sony’s console game rivals, Microsoft and Nintendo, have similar loyalty rewards programs. On Xbox, players can earn Microsoft Rewards points by buying and playing games and taking part in Xbox Game Pass quests. Nintendo enthusiasts can also earn coins through the My Nintendo program, which rewards members for making purchases, playing Nintendo’s mobile games, and using other Nintendo services.