Sony has officially announced when it plans to launch itsPlayStation Starsloyalty program for the United States and other regions. Earlier this month, during itsPlayStationSeptember State of Play event, Sony confirmed that PlayStation Stars would be launching sometime 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’sPlayStation Networkadult account. Accessed in the PlayStation App or through PlayStation.com, users will be given various tasks to complete, and will receive loyalty points and “digital collectibles” as rewards. Examples of tasks to come include a “Monthly Check-In” to simply play a game once a month, or on 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.RELATED:Sony Announces Free PlayStation Stars Loyalty ProgramThe official launch date forPlayStation Starsin North and South America will be October 5. This follows the Japan and Asia launch date of September 29, as promised. PlayStation Stars will then be launched in Europe and Australia the following week on October 13. Exact timing isn’t available, so those interested in using PlayStation Stars as soon as possible should pay attention to Sony communication platforms for further information.
PlayStation Stars users will immediately be granted a digital collectible just by joining the loyalty program. The first reward will be the Star Gazer Telescope, which is assumedly just a normal telescope. Other rewards available when PlayStation stars launches includeApe Escape’s Punto the gondolier, a PocketStation,mascots Toro and Kurocelebrating, and other digital collectibles. How to earn these rewards remains to be seen.
Since it was a very controversial subject when PlayStation Stars was first announced, it deserves to be repeated thatPlayStation digital collectibles are not NFTs. They are not tied to the blockchain, they are not unique rewards, and they cannot be resold or traded. Some fear this early PlayStation Stars program is just the foundation for a future NFT marketplace, but that would be a complete reversal on what Sony has promised at this point in time.
For those who aren’t interested in digital rewards, the 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 includesPSN wallet funds, games, and other PlayStation Store offerings. Expect details on how to earn loyalty points and what kind of rewards will be available to purchase starting when PlayStation Stars launches on October 13.
