Sony reveals PlayStation Stars, a new loyalty program featuring ‘digital collectibles’

Sony has revealed PlayStation Stars, a new loyalty program that’ll be free to join.

The program, which PlayStation says will allow players to “earn rewards by completing a variety of campaigns and activities,” launches later this year.

PlayStation Stars will also introduce a new reward which Sony is calling “digital collectibles”.

According to a PlayStation Blog post announcing the new scheme, the items are “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.

“There will always be a new collectible to earn, an ultra-rare collectible to strive for, or something surprising to collect just for fun,” it says.

“It’s definitely not NFTs,” Grace Chen, vice president of network advertising, loyalty and licensed merchandise, told The Washington Post. “Definitely not. You can’t trade them or sell them. It is not leveraging any blockchain technologies and definitely not NFTs.”

“All PlayStation Stars members will have opportunities to earn loyalty points.” reads the PS Blog post.

Players will also be rewarded for things such as earning a specific trophy, or being the first in a region to platinum a game.

“Points can be redeemed in a catalogue that may include PSN wallet funds and select PlayStation Store products. As an additional benefit, PlayStation Plus members enrolled in PlayStation Stars automatically earn points for purchases on PlayStation Store.”

PlayStation Stars will roll out later this year in a “phased regional” approach according to Sony. It’s currently unclear which regions will be included when the service launches in full later this year.

“We hope this new program brings to mind past gaming memories while making you excited for the future with PlayStation: commemorating the gaming eras we created together, charting new paths to explore, and bringing players together for global celebrations,” Sony’s statement reads.