New PlayStation Stars loyalty rewards scheme launches later this year
Players can earn digital collectibles and spend points on PSN wallet funds and other PlayStation products
PlayStation has announced a new loyalty program that will give players the chance to earn rewards by taking part in activities and completing challenges.
Entitled PlayStation Stars, the program is currently in early tests and launches later this year, starting with phased regional rollouts. It will be free to join, although there will be some extra benefits for PlayStation Plus members.
Loyalty points will be earned in a variety of ways; for example, playing any game once a month will complete the 'Monthly Check-In' challenge. Other activities will require players to unlock specific PlayStation Trophies, win tournaments or be the first in their local time zone to unlock the Platinum trophy on a new release.
PlayStation Plus members will receive points with every purchase they make via the PlayStation Store.
These points can then be redeemed for prizes in a catalogue, with items available ranging from PSN wallet funds to "select PlayStation Products," according to the PlayStation Blog.
Other rewards include "digital collectibles": digital representations of PlayStation memorabilia such as figurines of characters or previous Sony devices.
The announcement comes in the wake of last month's PlayStation Plus revamp, which sought to revitalise the platform holder's subscription offering by merging Plus and streaming service PlayStation Now into one multi-tiered subscription.