Tag: Playstation

Sony announces PlayStation Stars loyalty program rewards

Sony’s loyalty program promises digital figurines from PlayStation’s most recognizable franchises

Sony’s PlayStation rewards program, PlayStation Stars, finally has a release date and a more defined idea of what rewards players can earn, namely, collectible digital figurines and even PlayStation Network wallet funds.

Sony announced the updates in a PlayStation Blog post, and while the post didn’t showcase what the figurines actually look like or what actions result in which rewards, Sony clarified that the digital figurines aren’t NFTs. They may be unique, but they aren’t one-of-a-kind and cannot be sold or traded.

“Digital collectibles are beautifully rendered, digital representations of things that PlayStation fans enjoy, including figurines of beloved and iconic characters from games and other forms of entertainment, as well as cherished devices that tap into Sony’s history of innovation,” Grace Chen, Sony’s vice president of network advertising, said in the blog post.

The Stargazer Telescope is the program’s first figurine reward, with Punto from Ape Escape 2 and the Toro and Kuro cat pair from BeXide’s popular Japanese games, among a handful of additional figurines available to earn at launch.

The PlayStation Stars program is already live in Asia. Here’s when it rolls out elsewhere:

  • North and South America: October 5
  • Europe and Australia: October 13

Once PlayStation Stars goes live, you can earn points by making purchases on the PlayStation Store, playing certain games, and completing specific challenges during a designated period. You don’t need PlayStation Plus to join the program, though Sony said Plus members will get special rewards on occasion. 

Presumably, Sony will roll out game-specific rewards coinciding with new launches, such as the upcoming God of War: Ragnarok and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, set to launch in 2023.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

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Where to watch Tuesday’s State of Play stream and what to expect

Sony is looking to bring their A-game before the Tokyo Game Show with a State of Play stream that could feature big announcements.

If you’re a fan of Japanese video game publishers, then today is the day for you. Along with the Nintendo Direct this morning, there is going to be a PlayStation State of Play stream this afternoon, which is sure to make this a great day for fans of either brand. These streams come just a few days before the Tokyo Game Show, which is one of the biggest events on the gaming calendar.

Unlike the Nintendo Direct, Sony has confirmed that ten games will be shown off in the stream, although it hasn’t announced what they are. We’ll let you know exactly when the stream starts in your time zone, where you can watch and a little bit of what will probably be showcased.

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PlayStation Plus multiplayer free access weekend has been announced

Between August 27-28, anyone can play PS4 and PS5 games online without a PS Plus membership.

Summer is nearly over, meaning the time to bundle up and stay inside playing video games is almost here. Luckily Sony is giving anyone with a PlayStation console some extra incentive to do just that. 

On Monday, Sony announced that PS4 and PS5 owners can use multiplayer modes for free from Aug. 27 until Aug. 28, 2022. No need for a PlayStation Plus subscription (PS Plus) of any kind! Of course, you’ll still need a PlayStation Network account, though attaching a credit card shouldn’t be necessary. Finally, an excuse to dig out that copy of  GTA Online and remind yourself of how relaxing off-road joyrides with friends are.

Naturally, this is only a temporary promotion. So should the multiplayer bug bite, you’ll have to shell out cash for a PS Plus membership. The premium tier offers many free titles like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut, and Control: Ultimate Edition for PS5. Meanwhile, PS4 gets games such as Bloodborne, Darksiders III, and Fallout 4. There’s a lot to choose from, frankly.

Some brilliant titles like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 and Yakuza: Like A Dragon dropped on PS Plus this month, while Dead By Daylight and Metro Exodus are among other recent additions.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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PlayStation is reportedly developing a Gravity Rush movie

Sony is seemingly pushing forward with another film adaptation, this time of a PlayStation cult classic.

It feels like virtually every reasonably popular video game series is getting a movie or TV show adaptation. PlayStation Productions, the film games-to-film division within Sony, is seemingly adding a cult classic to the pile too.

According to Deadline, PlayStation Productions and Scott Free Productions have begun working on a Gravity Rush film based on the mind-bending action-adventure title. Anna Mastro, best known for Secret Society of Second-Born Royals, will be directing, while the script is by Emily Jerome (Panopticon). It doesn’t sound as if Sony has a distributor for the movie yet, though.

Gravity Rush is one of PlayStation’s lesser-known internal franchises. The first game came out on the PlayStation Vita in 2012 with pretty good reviews. It’s set in the fantasy city of Hekseville, where a young girl named Kat discovers she can manipulate gravity at will. This one is a must-play if you like watercolor vistas and clever puzzles.

Several years ago, there was a remaster for PS4, along with the sequel Gravity Rush 2. Keiichiro Toyama, the creator of Silent Hill, came up with Gravity Rush during his time at Sony. Now he’s working on Slitterhead, an all-new survival horror series.

Along with Gravity Rush, PlayStation Productions has film and television projects for The Last of Us, Ghost of Tsushima, Gran Turismo, God of War, and Horizon Zero Dawn. The company is probably greenlighting all of this due to Uncharted’s success.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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‘PlayStation PC launcher’ files reportedly found in Spider-Man: Remastered port

Sony might be making a PlayStation PC desktop client of some kind.

Sony has been slowly releasing fantastic PC ports of first-party PlayStation titles for more than a year. God of War, Days Gone, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and Spider-Man: Remastered all got royal treatment, and it seems like the company might be gearing up for further expansion into PC gaming.

According to VGC, there’s evidence of a “PlayStation PC launcher” within Spider-Man: Remastered‘s files. Thus far, Sony has released all of its games on Steam and The Epic Games Store while not announcing anything about creating an all-new launcher. It could potentially be only some sort of additional PSN Store integration on PC, though. Or something that might never see the light of day, for that matter.

Last week, VGC also noted that there are files in Spider-Man: Remastered suggesting that PlayStation Network account linking integration might be on the way too. Many fans are hoping that cross-buy functionality between PS5 and PC could come of all this, but that’s speculation based on rumors. Sony hasn’t commented publicly on either of these findings, so who knows what’s up.

As for future PlayStation-to-PC ports, the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is coming. Still no date for that yet, though. Of course, everyone is still frothing at the mouth over a Bloodborne PC version (it’s me, I’m ‘everyone’), despite there being no hint that it’s happening.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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Sony allegedly pays studios to avoid Xbox Game Pass, claims Microsoft

The console wars get uglier as Microsoft accuses Sony of paying ‘block fees’ so developers don’t put tiles on Game Pass.

Thus far, the ongoing saga of Microsoft’s near $70 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard is 2022’s most significant gaming story. However, the transaction still needs approval from several regulatory bodies, including the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), and Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE). Sony recently told CADE Call of Duty ownership could sway console sales in Xbox’s favor, and now Microsoft is responding with fresh accusations. 

Microsoft has now filed a 27-page document stating that Sony pays publishers and developers not to put titles on rival subscription services such as Xbox Game Pass. CADE published the original paper online in Portuguese, with VGC providing English translations.

“Considering that exclusivity strategies have been at the core of Sony’s strategy to strengthen its presence in the games industry, and that Sony is a leader in the distribution of digital games, Sony’s concern with possible exclusivity of Activision’s content is incoherent, to say the least,” Microsoft said. “Indeed, Microsoft’s ability to continue expanding Game Pass has been obstructed by Sony’s desire to inhibit such growth. Sony pays for ‘blocking rights’ to prevent developers from adding content to Game Pass and other competing subscription services.”

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It’s worth remembering that the Activision Blizzard buyout isn’t complete, even after company stockholders unanimously voted in favor of Microsoft’s acquisition. Still, Sony clearly isn’t keen on the deal.

“[Sony] does not want attractive subscription services to threaten its dominance in the digital distribution market for console games,” Microsoft continues in the filing. “In other words, Sony rails against the introduction of new monetization models capable of challenging its business model.”

Sony’s re-launch of PS Plus came out earlier this year as a competitor for Xbox Game Pass. Similar services like EA Play are available on the PlayStation Store as well.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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Sony announces PlayStation Stars, an all-new loyalty program

Players can earn special rewards by completing various challenges.

Anyone looking for some extra trophy-hunting incentive may receive precisely that this fall.

On Thursday, Sony announced PlayStation Stars, a new loyalty rewards program. It’ll launch later this year (release details beyond that are still unknown), and anyone can join the service for free. Players can earn rewards by completing various campaigns, for example, the “Monthly Check-In,” which involves simply playing a specific game. Doing so will yield redeemable loyalty reward points for select PlayStation Store products, which may include actual PSN wallet funds. 

There will also be rewards in the form of digital collectibles.

“Collectibles are as diverse as our portfolio of products and franchises,” Grace Chen, VP of network advertising at Sony, said via the PlayStation Blog. “They are digital representations of things that PlayStation fans enjoy, including figurines of beloved and iconic characters from games and other forms of entertainment, as well as cherished devices that tap into Sony’s history of innovation.”

Many people, including myself, thought these were some cryptocurrency NFT nonsense. During an interview with The Washington Post, Chen made an important distinction.

“It’s definitely not NFTs. Definitely not,” Chen said. “You can’t trade them or sell them. It is not leveraging any blockchain technologies and definitely not NFTs.”

Well, that’s good to know! 

Many of the details surrounding PlayStation Stars are still up in the air, likely because Sony hasn’t ironed out all the kinks. The premise is interesting, at any rate. Imagine getting the first-ever Platinum Trophy for God of War Ragnarök or Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and getting extra goodies for doing so.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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Analyst predicts sharp decline in video game industry spending

NPD analyst Mat Piscatella expects an 8.7 percent drop from 2021.

Not everyone is willing to spend money on video games, given how rough the global economy is. According to NPD Group executive director Mat Piscatella, consumers will likely buy far less gaming hardware, content, and accessories this year.

On Friday, Piscatella shared some insight via the NPD Group’s website, claiming video game consumer spending on hardware and software in the U.S. will drop to $55.5 billion in 2022, down 8.7 percent from 2021. The biggest drivers of this decline include increasing prices of everyday items like food and fuel, along with hardware supply constraints due to the global semiconductor shortage. The latter issue has plagued Nintendo, Nvidia, Valve, and all hardware manufacturers for quite some time.

“In hardware, the video game console market has yet to reflect normalized demand given ongoing supply constraints, particularly on new generation systems such as the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series [X|S],” Piscatella said via NPD Group. “This is not likely to change throughout 2022 and will lead to continued uncertainty for the market.”

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The report also predicts that Elden Ring will likely remain the best-selling title in 2022. No surprise there, given how monstrously successful the action RPG has been. Even heavy hitters such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, God of War Ragnarok, Skull and Bones, or even Pokemon Scarlet and Violet probably won’t dethrone Elden Ring.

Only video game subscriptions, such as Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus Premium, are expected to see growth over 2021. Again, not surprising given how popular these services are.

Of course, Piscatella notes that many unknown factors could impact his predictions. We’ll see how it all shakes out before 2023 rolls around.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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Two Sony patents show plans for PlayStation helper mode and predictive streaming suggestions

Two new Sony patents, filed today, suggest the PlayStation developer has big plans for streaming integration on the console.

Two new Sony patents, filed today, suggest the PlayStation developer has big plans for streaming integration on the console. One shows the design for a ‘helper mode’ where viewers would be able to effectively call in to streamers and give them assistance on the game they are streaming. The other is for a system that would recommend game streams based on the game a player was just in – maybe even the specific section they were playing.

Helper mode does not appear to allow for actual shared control of the game, being simply for “initiating a private communication channel between the spectator client device and the player client device to enable communication between the spectator and the player.” Of note, neither actually specifically reference the PlayStation – so you could be watching on a mobile device and call in to your mate to tell them what they’re doing wrong.

The stream recommendation is a little more complicated, and a little harder to parse. In essence it’s just recommending live video game streams based on preferences of a user – which isn’t exactly new technology. However, the key phrase is “determining a prioritization of the plurality of game streams based on the recognized gameplay activity.” This suggests looking at the actual recent play activity and recommending based on that, rather than simply what game was picked.

Of course, these patents were only just filed, and they could be years off being implemented or even simply made to cover technology that Sony already has out there in their various devices. Still, an interesting glimpse into what might come next.

Written by Ben Barrett on behalf of GLHF.

State of Play returns June 2 with “exciting reveals from third-party partners”

It’s that time of year, and State of Play is back on June 2 running 30 minutes from 6pm Eastern, 3pm Pacific.

It’s that time of year, and State of Play is back on June 2 running 30 minutes from 6pm Eastern, 3pm Pacific – just a week and change ahead of the official unofficial not-E3 presentations begin on June 9. As with any State of Play, it could have just about anything, from your wildest dreams to nothing of note. Helping along this time is the knowledge that the show will “have some exciting reveals from our third-party partners.”

Your brain will immediately go to Square Enix, naturally, especially Final Fantasy 16 since game producer Naoki Yoshida said their next trailer was literally ready. Of course, that would also very easily have pride-of-place as Summer Game Fest a few days later, which is likely to have a wider audience. Then again, PlayStation has been the home of Final Fantasy for twenty-five years on the dot, at this point. The argument for Summer Game Fest is also true of every other game that would be likely to show up here.

Other third parties with bits and pieces we’d expect to show up include Capcom’s Street Fighter 6 and new Resident Evil 8 DLC or other games. Ubisoft are yet to announce their own show around not-E3, so there could be an Assassin’s Creed or finally the re-debut of Skull & Bones. There’s also the giga-indies like Hollow Knight: Silksong, clown makeup and all.

The only thing that really won’t be there is Microsoft or their attached studios – Activision Blizzard, Bethesda, and the like – as they have their own showcase 10 days later.

There’s no specific mention of first-party titles, though they do say there will be a “sneak peek at several games in development for PlayStation VR2.” Despite what it might suggest, it doesn’t take God of War Ragnarok (or other first parties) completely off the table, though certainly makes it less likely.

We’ll see on Thursday. Watch on Twitch or YouTube. 

Written by Ben Barrett on behalf of GLHF.