Sony confirms when it plans to launch its highly anticipated PlayStation Stars loyalty program, which grants rewards for various activities.
Sony has officially announced when it plans to launch its PlayStation Stars loyalty program for the United States and other regions. Earlier this month, at its September PlayStation State of Play event, Sony confirmed that PlayStation Stars would launch in October following a late September launch in Japan and Asia. With the release of a new PlayStation Stars guide shared on Wednesday, a more specific release date has been provided.
For those unfamiliar, PlayStation Stars is a free loyalty program associated with someone’s adult PlayStation Network account. Accessible in the PlayStation app or via PlayStation.com, users will be given various tasks to complete and receive loyalty points and “digital collectibles” as rewards. Examples of future tasks include a “monthly check-in” to simply play a game once a month, or at the other extreme being the first to earn a Platinum trophy in a given region or country. Some rewards will be ubiquitous, while others will be very rare.
The official launch date for PlayStation Stars in North and South America will be October 5th. This follows the Japan and Asia launch date of September 29, as promised. PlayStation Stars will then launch in Europe and Australia the following week on October 13. The exact timing isn’t available, so those looking to grab PlayStation Stars as soon as possible should pay attention to Sony’s communication platforms for more information.
PlayStation Stars users will immediately receive a digital collectible simply by joining the loyalty program. The first reward will be the Star Gazer Telescope, which is supposedly just a normal telescope. Other rewards available at PlayStation Stars Launch include Monkey Escape‘s Punto the Gondolier, a PocketStation, celebrating Toro and Kuro mascots and other digital collectibles. The question is how to earn these rewards.
As this was a hotly debated topic when PlayStation Stars was first announced, it bears repeating that PlayStation digital collectibles are not NFTs. They are not linked to the blockchain, they are not unique rewards and they cannot be resold or traded. Some fear that this first PlayStation Stars program is just the basis for a future NFT market, but it would be a complete reversal of what Sony has promised at this point.
For those not interested in digital rewards, PlayStation Stars Loyalty Points may prove more attractive. These loyalty points can be used to claim any number of rewards from the PlayStation Stars catalog, which includes PSN wallet funds, games and other PlayStation Store offers. Expect details on how to earn Loyalty Points and what kind of rewards will be available for purchase from the launch of PlayStation Stars on October 13.