And here we go again, with another PlayStation service shutting its doors and, for once, the loyalty program PlayStation Stars gets handed that fate. Sony announced that the program has been terminated, and certainly the gamers *have thoughts* about this.
So, first things first, what even was PlayStation Stars? It was Sony’s somewhat awkward attempt at an award program where you got to earn points from buying games, taking on challenges, and collecting all sorts of digital… stuff. Picture it as a digital trophy case adorned with a dollop of PSN credit. Nothing headline-worthy, really, but, you know, free credits are free credits.
Not anymore. Sony announced in a statement that no fresh members shall be accepted into the program outside May 21, 2025, while present players will be able to collect their last points and digital collectibles until July 23, 2025. What comes after? Well, it’s goodbye. Redemption of points shall only be valid until November 2, 2026, but any points earned post-October 24, 2024, will expire in 12 months. Also, by March itself, subscription payments for point collection were stopped for those who had been holding out.
Reaction? Oh boy! Some are quite an emotional mess about it. @Para_Graf simply said, “Was nice to have,” while @RiseUp44 was pretty much going off: “This is just frustrating. I hope PS considers creating a new program, something more socially focused.” Others were chill about it; @shezlufc said, “Good. It needed improving.”
And then we have the Xbox-versus-PlayStation clique; because that, of course, had to turn into a console war. @PureLaith said, “Xbox rewards system is more user friendly,” while @Alexand58595357 replied, “Xbox shitted on PlayStation stats and remains to be the best subscription so far.” @KratosBeatGuts then went pure spam and kept repeating “XBOX BUTTER,” which… ok, sure.
But what really creates the salt are the end-users: gamers who feel like Sony is throwing perks at them like candy. @rodgui sums it up quite correctly: “Increase console price, increase game price, increase PSN price, and now delete the reward program. What is the strategy? Force users to sell PlayStation and migrate to PC?” Oof.
And oh, let’s not leave out the poor souls that barely got to use the thing. @Rowkooro wondered, “Didn’t this shit just come back?” while @HadesXPhoenix asked if Sony could unlock every remaining collectible as a farewell gift. (Spoiler: Probably not.)
Well, what’s next? They’ve said they’re “exploring new loyalty programs,” but it still remains the only information they have put forth; in light of how this one was laid down- together with its LPs and tin-cup rewards-it really doesn’t set much of an atmosphere to anticipate. For now, appreciate those points. If you had been anticipating a worthwhile rewards system, don’t keep your hopes too high.
The memories shall forever be etched. And by “memories,” I genuinely mean the very meltdown moments on Twitter. Never change gaming community. Never change.
