Sony Interactive Entertainment / Sam Machkovech
On Thursday, Sony Interactive Entertainment released a surprising announcement about a new service coming to PlayStation consoles. Most details about the new “PlayStation Stars” initiative, which is similar to other gaming services’ “reward benefits”, sound promising, but at Ars Technica, Sony’s choice of a two-word phrase immediately put fear into our hearts: “digital collectibles.”
Fortunately, members of the SIE PR team were quick to the draw with an email response to allay our fears: No, this is not Sony’s sting on NFTs.
“They are not unique”
The new service, which will be launched “later this year”, will not cost anything to join and will exist outside the PlayStation Plus subscription family. PlayStation Stars, as vaguely described in Sony’s Thursday announcement, is about a soup of associated concepts, but on the face of it, it basically looks like the Microsoft Rewards system baked into the modern Xbox console family. TL; DR version: get digital rewards for playing video games.
PlayStation Stars members can play specific PlayStation console games to complete “promotions” and “activities”, although only promotions are described in the Thursday announcement. These range from tasks as simple as playing a particular game in a given month to more dedicated tasks such as collecting game-specific PlayStation trophies or even making the first unlock of a game difficult to obtain a “platinum” trophy in a region as large as a time zone. As described, these promotions can correlate with games related to the PlayStation Plus service – much like how Microsoft Rewards favors Xbox Game Pass titles.
Should you complete promotions and activities within PlayStation Stars, you can expect at least two types of “rewards”. The first described today, called “loyalty points”, can be applied to a “catalog” of digital offers, and these include credit for PlayStation Network purchases or redemption offers for “selected” PSN products such as games. And I’ve already mentioned the second type of reward, called digital collectibles, which sounded suspiciously like NFTs in Sony’s first announcement:
They are digital representations of things that PlayStation fans like, including characters of beloved and iconic characters from games and other forms of entertainment, as well as beloved devices that take advantage of Sony’s innovation history. There will always be a new collectible to earn, an ultra rare collectible to strive for, or something surprising to collect just for fun.
In an email to Ars Technica, SIE Senior Public Relations Manager Aram Jabbari clarifies that these are not NFTs. “These digital collectibles are made solely for our loyalty program, and while some may be rare, they are not unique, nor do they. [PlayStation Stars] utilize blockchain technology, “writes Jabbari.
Thus, as described, these digital collectibles can only resemble a more old-fashioned approach in the gaming world, where cosmetic 3D objects can be displayed after doing something unique or challenging in a video game without any economic system adding artificial scarcity to the mix. PlayStation 5s wrapped video games Astros playroom already includes a similar system, since the game includes unlockable 3D models of older PlayStation hardware as secret ornaments in the game, no purchase required. (Speaking of PS5: Jabbari declined to say whether PlayStation Stars will work across all PlayStation console families or whether it will be locked to the newer PlayStation 5 console.)
Should we expect “DylaNFTs” anytime soon?
Ars Technica readers may already be familiar with many, many, many, many, many NFT-related pitches from modern gaming companies. (Many.)
SIE has been careful to suggest that concepts such as NFTs or blockchain stakes come to PlayStation consoles or services, but parent company Sony has found other ways to invest in the concepts. The largest came in the form of a $ 1 billion investment in Epic Games, which Sony chairman Kenichiro Yoshida described at the time as an opportunity “to deepen our relationship in the metaverse field.” The statement also mentions other initiatives such as digital video production, making the exact dollar-for-dollar equation for how much Sony invests in game-related blockchain content.
At least one other Sony division has been much bolder when it comes to linking directly to NFTs as a commercial concept. In March, Sony Music entered into a partnership with Bob Dylan’s son to create NFTs based on Dylan’s work, but as of press time, the service in question does not suggest that such digital items (DylaNFTs?) Will go on sale immediately.
