Sony has announced the launch of its PlayStation Stars loyalty program in the UK, a new way to show your commitment to squeezing every drop of content, hunting down every secret and mastering every aspect of the games you buy on your shiny PS5 or trusty PS4. You can sign up for the program completely free if you have a PlayStation Plus membership.
Here's how it works. With the launch of PlayStation Stars, campaigns will be introduced, which will essentially be time-limited goals and activities that players can participate in. Completing these challenges will, in addition to collecting trophies across various PlayStation titles, earn points and even shiny digital collectibles that can be placed in a new display case in the PlayStation mobile app.
Collectibles are great, especially for trophy hunters who I imagine will be showing off their digital collection to strangers on the bus and train. However, it's the points that may get your attention, as they can be exchanged for various really valuable things, such as entire games and DLC. So it feels like a real loyalty program and not just 2.0 trophies in disguise.
If you want to really impress people with your digital collection, the PlayStation Stars program has a milestone system. There are four levels in total, and to climb the ranks you'll have to collect increasingly more unusual trophies and purchase "full games" from the PlayStation store. Gamification, baby! There's another nagging voice in your head telling you to spend your salary on Horizon: Zero Dawn.
Overall, I can't say this is a bad addition. Those who are deeply in love with their inanimate, cold console can actually make some money by continuing to buy and play through new games. More money in a player's pocket is the greatest good in my book, and while I haven't been an achievement or trophy hunter in over a decade, I can imagine the sense of satisfaction a shelf full of collectibles might give some.
