PlayStation's New 'Rewards' Program Goes Down Like a Lead Balloon

Well, that’s garbage compared to the numerous times I received $5 store credit from the previous rewards program.

I will pay someone on Ebay to platinum the game for me so I can gain access to the special store where I'll purchase those unique items and pay additional taxes and shipping costs.

This program is an insult to intelligence. What were they thinking? Acting like buying a pin is some sort of invite only club with a queue..

Not ideal, but at least they aren’t potentially screwing with the actual trophy system or adding some other stat that will be permanently attached to one’s account. Nothing worse than ‘you have a finite amount of time to unlock this tchotchke, and if you miss the window of opportunity you’re screwed for all eternity’.

This is dumb. Make a reward programme that actually gives rewards or don’t bother.

Bad move I'm my opinion who would rather get to earn to chance to buy items for money that are for me crappy and not inticeing at all or just get some store credit to spend on whatever??
You shouldn't have to spend money for a "reward"

Sony PS4 era customer focused and good value for money and lots of AAA Sony studios campaign games.
Maybe it was their big push to finish off the Xbox console, not that Microsoft needed help with that.

Sony PS5 era, great first two years, now its about the money money money and probably because they can get away with it and the Xbox console is down.

It's how they make the PS5 generation even more profitable.

Funny, I used the Destiny 2 comparison in the other article, hated there too by the way.

Edit: They are on the right track with rewarding people who go after trophies but this execution just isn't it chief.

One of the worst ideas they've ever had, especially right after cancelling PS Starts. That alone made it far worse.

"Get more Fvcked" Sony slogan since forever

I think Sony should just concentrate on releasing awesome games, because everything else they want to try ends up being a bit of a mess..

The funny thing is the Stars program actually pushed me towards digital purchasing since you could get some store credit which in the end got Sony more of my money. Now I've veered back to buying physical since there's no longer an incentive to buy digital versions outside of convenience.

They are actually making less money off of me as customer from this. An exclusive merch store is not a compelling incentive for a rewards program. Simple as that.

Much prefer store credits

A complete and utter pisstake

It's like they looked at Amazon's Prime marketing - Get Free Shipping for $139 a Year - and thought, what can we make that's worse than that?

I'm kinda used to this already from when Nintendo said "Let's make a Club Nintendo replacement but so much worse." but this is even much worse than that. Like a lot worse.

On the bright side I can just ignore it now.

I never really used the rewards so don't really care about that one way or the other.

The idea of being able to get a collectors pin for die hards who are into that kinda stuff is kind of cool, but lets be honest it will just become a new line of revenue for scalpers who want to resell the fancy pins at a profit.

Whoever came up with this idea needs to be shot out of a cannon. 😂

I used to love the previous system. I went on a massive PSVR2 spending spree after getting my headset and earned lots of credit back to buy more games. That was a proper loyalty programme.

I picked other so here's my take it's complete and utter horseshit u get to complete a task to give u the opportunity to by something for a limited time friggin stupid

It’s really bad and we’re definitely rewarding Sony, not them us…

How to run a company into the ground speedrun

This is not the sony we all know and love

@Bionic-Spencer
Absolutely more great AAA Sony campaign studios games.
But they only make much from them, probably good money but not enough.
They won’t share on day one with PC or Xbox or switch 2.
So they try other means, the biggest GAAS and silly things like this rewards programme.

I would much prefer a reward system that pays me for every trophy I earn, doesn't have to be much, maybe 2p per bronze trophy, 5p silver, 10p gold and 30p platinum and it's obviously given as in store credit. That's a incentive for people to invest more time into their games.

This has Bungie written all over it. Anyone remember the "reward" Destiny merch?

Fairly overwhelming poll there, again these are the board meetings id love to attend, and actually listen to somebody pitch this idea, then all the suits...oh yeah that's so good do it do it, I mean these are the people we give our money to when we buy games GoY etc...

Microsoft rewards

I earned enough points to buy a ps5 now thats a rewards program

The old system encouraged me to buy more digital games, the new system has already meant I've bought less

I was actually a fan of stars. 🤷‍♂️

I got quoted! Made my day. Haha

And what happens when they run out of stock? Sony IP is normally a bit easier to platinum than other games, so I get "rewarded" by getting an out-of-stock message like a lot of the merch in their normal store. Hope my tshirt size stays in stock.

Your reward is merch at a standard price? That’s a deal so bad I sneezed 14 times.

There’ll be bootleg versions within a month, probably sold cheaper.

Will you be limited in how many you buy? Or coukd you bulk buy and sell on?

Just seems ill thought out, and a bit exploitative.

Imagine earning a trophy and not being able to get the t shirt because it (probably) wouldn't fit you

My non-gaming girlfriend found this hilarious and she's 100% right. You pay £70 or whatever for the game, then you invest all of the time to get x trophy ("engagement" which has a tangible value for Sony), then you earn the ability to pay $30 for a t-shirt. If they actually cared about their audience it would be a reasonable price, but it feels a bit like exploiting your hardcore fans. Just sell this as normal merch!

I think this is kind of a cute idea, but calling it a "rewards" program is a complete misnomer. This is an elite merch club.

They should have just done both rewards programs.

I think the concept is neat but they're marketing it wrong; it's not a reward, it's exclusive access.

I probably won't buy anything from this store, as the only Platinum I've ever achieved was for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, but hey if they do one of these for FFVIIR3 then I'll be there for it.

It’s like these small trophies you get for winning tennis tournaments etc. But you have to pay for them!

I cannot fathom how the people pitching this have the jobs they do. The optics are genuinely atrocious, it's like they are intentionally trying to tank the brand. Despite the fact i have zero marketing experience, if i'm in a room where this is being pitched, I'm immediately questioning how this comes across. There's numerous ways of offering the exact same product but pitching it differently so that it actually feels enticing rather than a piss take.

Should have gone with the option to buy a life size figure of Eve from Stellar Blade for those who got the platinum for that game. Somehow I think that might have been more popular.

I have 2 thoughts on this program.

1. Its not a rewards program and shouldnt be marketed as such in any way. Its incentive to buy exclusive gear through play.
2. If we think about #1 as fact, then its not so bad. It doesnt replace stars or rewards or any of the countless other programs shut down, but on its own and marketed as something other than a rewards program, its not terrible.

Blatant rubbish, to put it in community friendly terms.

@ItsAlwaysSunnyyy (#37) best take on this, hands down.

@Czar_Khastik
The funny thing is, after reading the article (and not knowing if they could purchase multiples etc) my first thought was that Trophy Hunters could actually make a bit of cash this way! (Purchasing and reselling gear locked behind trophies).
Does this prove how weird this 'rewards' plan is, how weird the world is, or is it just me lol.

From reading the article, it suggests the idea is replacing the Stars Reward program just to rile people up when really it's just a completely different rewards system that they are implementing.

Classic 2025 Journalism, better to get people angry for clicks then actually frame news correctly

Its not a rewards program. Simple.
Its a shop selling overpriced merch with an entry requirement.

This is glaringly obvious and asinine corporate greed, yet again.

I was frankly critical of the Stars program, especially early on. However, that was leagues better than whatever this is. I’m holding out hope that this isn’t the replacement for Stars, rather a whole separate thing and ‘Stars 2’ will be something more along the lines of earning cash rewards, store credit, or other useful rewards like a free month of PS+ or whatnot. My issue originally with Stars was the rewards for getting trophies was not very good, you had to spend money in the PS store to get substantial credit and points. I’m still holding onto [an admittedly shrinking] physical game library, so there’s a lot of games I purchased but didn’t get any credit. That and the silly campaigns were not implemented well. But I’d take it all back instead of this!

The rewards I could redeem for store credit was perfect, It made me purchase more than I normally would. This new one is absolutely dog water, it would be crap even if the merch was free.

I don't need more cheap clothes and junk around my house, I want rewards I could use to purchase more games!

It would backfire in no time if they were to give out merch to everyone for every special game so I would expect some kind of fee, especially these days. I don't really see too many ways to get around paying something.

1. They would have to make the merch extremely rare first and foremost. Would be a slap in the face if it was easy to get casually without even playing anything.

2. Maybe an increasing discount the more Platinums you earn? That way you'd seem like less of a cash cow paying premium each time and more like a VIP...?

3. And maybe give the first -set- amount of people free merch of their choice as the biggest reward? I do think they deserve that much. It allows some of the product to get out there in the first place for display too.

That's all I got for this one at the moment... I'm still bummed they didn't bring back PS Home and just make the rewards appear as collectables that you could decorate and interact with or something. I suppose it could still happen on PS6, but with all the live service focus this gen, it's just a flat out shame they missed this.

Just another thing in the long line of Sony disappointments this generation, really. Monetised to the hilt but worst value generation.

Here's a reward for you:
Buy some stuff.

Wow Sony, you are so generous and wise. That's exactly what we were all hoping for.

Stars was great. This… IS NOT!!!

An exclusive store could be a cool concept - but it's only cool if it's stuff you really REALLY want to buy AND everyone else knows the merchandise is exclusive so wearing it is proof of your in-game accomplishments.

Since I'm not interesting in buying t-shirts or pins, it doesn't matter if it was free or discounted, exclusive or rare - I'm still not interested.

It's nice for the people who do want to buy that stuff, I guess.

I prefer the rewards program before Stars - a flat percentage back as store credit ($5 minimum) so the more you bought the more you got, with no other incentives or bonuses for jumping through arbitrary hoops, and no virtual or real-life gear.

Thats why i really give a sh... for sony rewards. If i have xbox and my bing rewards. I can buy gta 6 if release it tomorroow. I just have check in all days, play a little and thats it. Win win. Change points for money on microsoft store and buy my games. Perfect. Sony ...learn with xbox ok you are terrible. Thats why im not a fanboy of one console only.

Sony squeezing more money out of players like there top line isn't already good enough, earn a platinum trophy get a discount on a hoody pathetic move so out of touch with reality

@AhmadSumadi stars was perfect earning some free credit for a little grind, this is just the top 1% showing their greed as usual

I think Sony dropped the 'L' from their "For The Players" slogan this gen.

All people want is money off games with a few bonus boosts for doing set things (trying a demo, purchasing specific games) and everyone* would be happy!

(*ok, almost)

@SODGA85 I earned plenty of credit from my ESO+ subscription and playing certain games. The last thing I did with Stars before they ended it was buy Everybody’s Golf: Hot Shots. Bought a full game with only credit from doing certain things and credits from a subscription for another game. That’s how rewards are supposed to work!

Sony as a company have been smoking some strange vines for years now. They really have lost reality with what makes good customer service.

The only reason I liked it was redeeming credit to purchase other PS digital games and then they killed it. So now I couldn’t care less. First Nintendo killed the gold coins now Sony. Total greed. I hope Microsoft keeps their rewards going at least!

P**s on that sh*t

Wow. What a sense of pride and accomplishment I could be feeling, if I was a total mark.

I seldomly buy digital (usually dlc), and I still managed to get 5€ vouchers multiple times, just by booting a few games via PS plus streaming. PS Stars was a good program which got me to play some games that I perhaps wouldn't have tried otherwise, though it didn't get me to buy more digital.

I give it 6 months and that's being conservative. In reality it probably won't last more than 3. I miss getting my store credits. Bad Playstation.

I don’t think it’s a terrible concept in general. I just don’t think it’s a rewards program.

I swear Sony has lost their way this generation. This just sounds dumb.

@Cikajovazmaj I agree!

I am a simple man. I just want store credit. And it actually encourages me to buy more Sony. Because as I said I am a simple man.

@OmegaStriver 100%. Getting the odd £5 voucher on Stars was a really nice perk of buying expensive games. Sony are just greedy. Even Microsoft are still doing rewards.

I was very active with Stars for the credit. Not just the 5 but I was getting 10, 15, 20 euro credit.

This new thing is just the equivalent of buying the collector's edition of a game except you have to work for it first.

People didn't seem to care much when PS stars were ending (with a few exceptions, and I among them), but now we're being offered this tat in return, everyone's up in arms. Well, should have fought harder for what little good stuff we had, before it was gone!

Being 52 I'm well over the must have a pretty console and matching t shirt. This isn't for the older gamer. But then is it for anyone.

I'm having a hard time justifying buying their games day one anymore since I get nothing extra whatsoever and the trash pointless expensive Collector's Edition doesn't even come with a disc. This is exactly why I ended up ignoring Death Stranding 2, I'm not joking.
I haven't played MGS3 Remake yet but I bought it, DAY ONE because of that cool, only 100 quid, Special Edition with cool physical things....... and a disc. Tried to tell Sony on their blog numerous times, they won't listen, DS2 flopped hard.

After that rant, how do you think I feel about a waste of time rewards system? Most profitable gen ever....... and they are so lousy and pull this nonsense.

For the items sold through this "rewards" program to actually be rewards, they need to be less expensive. Sell it for cost or slightly above cost. The exclusivity of the merchandise is not the big selling point they think it is.

In short, it's not an awful idea but it's executed terribly.

It is a fun idea, but after free 5€ gift cards, the mere right to buy a (expensive) t-shirt or pin is pretty meagre. Some valid points about the execution and balancing of trophies too in above comments.