On October 13, 2022, Sony launched its new loyalty program “PlayStation Stars” in Germany. In Asia, where the program has been running for a while, there was heavy criticism even before the actual launch. And MeinMMO editor Maximilian Dettenthaler is currently far from happy with PlayStation Stars. You can read why in this article.
When Sony announced PlayStation Stars, I was initially very excited because I generally find the idea of a loyalty program really great. And since Sony’s direct competitors have been offering similar services with MyNintendo and Microsoft Rewards for a long time, it was about time that the PlayStation makers caught up.
Unfortunately, one has to say that Sony has made some decisions that seem bizarre, to say the least, and are hard to understand. It’s no surprise that there was a lot of criticism of the new loyalty program in Asia before the actual launch.
The loyalty points can then be redeemed in a catalog for various rewards. Additionally, it is possible to level up from level 1 to level 4 within PlayStation Stars through various activities.
What I don’t like about PlayStation Stars (yet)
In summary: So far, I find neither the implementation nor the rewards available in PlayStation Stars really successful. I have summarized a few points for you explaining why:
The rewards are currently not very motivating and do not justify the required effort
The integration of a completely new service always takes some time to ramp up, which Sony should be given. Accordingly, I also did not expect that a long rewards catalog would be presented right at the launch of PlayStation Stars.
So far, the following rewards are available:
- digital collectibles
- selected PS Store products
- PSN credit
This initially sounds like it could be NFTs, but fortunately, that’s not the case. Grace Chen (Vice President, Network Advertising, Loyalty and Licensed Merchandise) clarified this in a recent conversation with the Washington Post.
I had hoped that Sony (similar to Nintendo) would offer exclusive physical items in addition to digital rewards as part of their loyalty program. But what isn’t there yet could still come.
For example, MyNintendo offers tote bags, stickers, notebooks, or even handy cable organizers.
However, my biggest problem is the cost required to unlock the rewards. The effort to collect the points is not proportional to the profit.
Two examples:
Purchases in the PS Store (only with PS Plus subscription)
The necessary points for the rewards are set extremely high; here is a simple example of that:
- I recently bought Cult of the Lamb for 24.99 euros. For that, I get 250 loyalty points.
- The cheapest reward for PSN credit worth 5 euros costs 1250 of these points.
- So, if I want to have 5 euros PSN credit from PlayStation Stars, I would have to first spend 125 euros on games.
Completion of campaigns
The number of campaigns currently available in PlayStation Stars is still very limited. One of them is called: “PlayStation Store Selection.” Completing this gives you 50 points.
To fulfill this, you must purchase one of the following games:
- FIFA 23 (PS4: 69.99 euros, PS5: 79.99 euros)
- The Last of Us Part 1 (79.99 euros)
- NBA 2K23 (PS4: 69.99 euros, PS5: 79.99 euros)
- Inscryption (19.99 euros)
- Valkyrie Elysium (69.99 euros)
- Tunic (29.99 euros)
This means that buying the nearly 20 € game Inscryption is by far the cheapest. However, the reward of 50 points corresponds to just 20 cents! Such a thing should not happen, and I really do not understand how Sony can justify this despite all the profit thinking.
So far, there are only five different campaigns. I have already completed one of them:
If you buy a digital collectible instead of PSN credit, you still have to cough up 200 points for it. As good as it may feel initially to place one of the few collectibles in your personal showcase, I still ask myself: Is it really worth the purchase of games worth 80 euros?
You can now pre-order the official Pro Controller for the PS5, the DualSense Edge:
Why is PlayStation Stars (still) not available on the console?
PlayStation Stars is currently only available for the mobile app. I understand that introducing new systems always takes some time. Still, I find it very disappointing that access to PlayStation Stars is currently only possible through the PlayStation app for Android and iOS.
Well, you can still register on the official PlayStation homepage. But the PS5 and PS4 lack any trace of PlayStation Stars yet.
Sony says that they want to bring the service to the console later, but I find it regrettable that this was not the case from the start on PS4 and PS5.
I would definitely be much more motivated to actually complete the various campaigns and showcase the unlocked collectibles on my regular profile on the console – and not just in the PlayStation app.
Not much is happening in my showcase yet:
However, there is one more point that bothers me about the mobile exclusivity. If you have to use the mobile app to access the service, it should be prominently displayed and easily accessible. At least at launch.
Unfortunately, PlayStation Stars is poorly integrated into the app. After registering, I had to search carefully to find the inconspicuous and tiny icon of the new loyalty program for the first time.
And while we’re on the topic of registration: You may not be immediately entered into the program but rather placed on a waiting list. This waiting list is processed in a period of up to two months. Again, I ask myself: “Why, Sony? Does someone manually have to enter my data?”
Everything seems so unorganized, as if Sony itself does not yet know where they want to take the loyalty program.
If you want to know about the most bizarre controllers for PlayStation, we have an article for you:
The issue with customer service
However, my biggest criticism of PlayStation Stars is not the mobile exclusivity or the absurd discrepancy between cost and benefit. Through purchasing full-price games and unlocking rare trophies, it is possible to level up within four ranks.
In principle, I don’t find this idea bad – it prevents players from quickly unlocking Platinum trophies from super easy games. Real effort is indeed rewarded.
Sony wants to motivate you to buy full-price games and has come up with a “special” incentive: Members who have reached the highest level are given priority during chat interactions with Sony’s customer service. This means their inquiries are processed faster than those of lower-level members.
For me, this is hard to understand and even problematic.
Players who might have just purchased a Sony console for the first time and therefore may not yet be fully proficient with it are made to feel like “second-class citizens” and have to wait at the end of the queue.
Additionally, it is further complicated that purchasing multiple full-priced games is necessary to level up to the next tier. To reach the highest level, you must purchase four of these games. With today’s game and electricity prices and the current inflation, this is absolutely not feasible for everyone.
At least, cheaper full versions like Tales of Symphonia on sale for 2 euros count.
If you want to know how much gaming with the PS5 will cost you, we have an article for you:
This completely exaggerated requirement not only disadvantages players with a limited budget but also gamers who primarily spend their time on service titles.
How do you find PlayStation Stars so far? Do you use the service at all, and are you satisfied with the loyalty program? Feel free to share your views in the comments.
