Sony has announced the imminent rollout of what appears to be its own rewards scheme, one that features “digital collectibles” but, according to Sony, are not NFTs. Later this year, the PlayStation Stars loyalty program will launch, and players will then be able to accrue points through gameplay and other activities. These may then be exchanged for items from the PS Store and PSN wallet credits.
Users still enjoy earning redeemable points through Microsoft’s rewards program, which they can use to play games through PC Game Pass, utilize Edge/Bing, and participate in quizzes. For more information, see here.
Microsoft’s program’s game-based components look to be imitated in some ways by Sony’s PlayStation Stars. When it launches later this year, membership will be free, and users will be able to accumulate points by taking part in a variety of activities, such as playing at least one game every month, competing in tournaments, earning a certain trophy, or even being the first person to play a big game release in a specific time zone. Additionally, PlayStation Plus customers will be able to accumulate points through PlayStation Store purchases.
The accumulated points may be used to purchase games and other stuff from the PSN Wallet or PS Store. Sony emphasizes that PlayStation Stars is an independent initiative from Sony Rewards and won’t take its place.
The program’s use of digital collectibles has also drawn criticism. These are “digital representations of everything PlayStation fans appreciate, including miniatures of popular and iconic characters from games and other kinds of entertainment,” according to Sony’s description.
The official release adds, “There will always be a new collectible to achieve, an extra rare item to strive for, or something surprising to collect simply for pleasure.
While all of that would seem eerily like NFTs, Sony VP Grace Chen repeatedly emphasized this wasn’t the case in an interview with The Washington Post.
“Definitely not NFTs, then. Absolutely not. They are not exchangeable or movable. It is not using any blockchain technology, and it is not using NFTs either “She spoke.
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