What an exciting moment for PlayStation!  Today marks the first regional launch of our new loyalty program – PlayStation Stars. I am pleased to usher in this new initiative for our PlayStation community, launching first in Asia, which celebrates our players’ achievements with fun and delightful campaigns and the ability to earn rewards such as points and digital collectibles.

With this launch, we commence our global rollout for PlayStation Stars, and this is just the beginning.  We will continue to evolve the program by adding new features, rewards, benefits and ways to enjoy what you love about PlayStation.  

Let’s take a look at some of the key details of the program.

When is PlayStation Stars launching?

Below are the following launch dates for PlayStation Stars:

• Asia, including Japan: September 29 (local time)
• North and South America: October 5 (local time)
• Europe and Australia: October 13 (local time)

What do I need to join PlayStation Stars? Is a PlayStation Plus membership required?

PlayStation Stars is free to join. You’ll only need to have an adult account for PlayStation Network and accept the program’s Terms of Service. While you will earn certain benefits for being a PlayStation Plus member, a PlayStation Plus membership is not required to join PlayStation Stars.

How can I access PlayStation Stars?

The full PlayStation Stars experience is accessible through the PlayStation App on iOS and Android. You can also join PlayStation Stars via playstation.com.

We have plans to expand to console devices in the future.

How does the program work?

With PlayStation Stars, you earn rewards by completing a variety of campaigns and activities. Our “Monthly Check-In” campaign simply requires you to play any game to receive a reward. Other campaigns will ask you to earn specific trophies, or even be among one of the first players to platinum a blockbuster title in their country/region. One of our first campaigns is called “Hit Play/1994” where members who correctly launch games that match song-based clues receive a special collectible.

Campaigns are updated regularly so check the PlayStation App to see new campaigns. 

What rewards can I earn?

There are two types of rewards – loyalty points and digital collectibles. Points can be redeemed in a catalog that may include PSN wallet funds, exclusive digital collectibles and select PlayStation Store products. As an additional benefit, PlayStation Plus members enrolled in PlayStation Stars automatically earn points for purchases on PlayStation Store.*

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. There will be new collectibles to earn regularly, ultra-rare collectibles to strive for, or something surprising to collect just for fun. 

The digital collectibles you earn or acquire can be arranged on a display case within the PlayStation App.  You can also set the display case to be viewed by others, if you choose.

At launch, by simply joining, all members will receive the Star Gazer Telescope.  We’ll have

Hi everyone! I’m Nicolas Bécavin, Lead Engine Programmer on A Plague Tale: Requiem. The game launches on October 18, and I’m here to give you a little preview of what you can expect tech-wise! 

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Taking the next-gen leap 

We decided to develop A Plague Tale: Requiem on PlayStation 5 to set ourselves completely free from last-gen constraints and make the most out of the features brought by the new gen. The potential it offers is incredible! Take the load time for instance: it is reduced in a way that makes new map and level design possible. With an increased memory on top, we get better draw distance which means you’ll be able to see way farther. Horizons will literally expand! The result is a much more open environment than introduced in the first game.

Unleashing the rats 

Rats are a key feature of A Plague Tale, and for this second game we wanted to push new-gen possibilities to the max to bring the rats-induced horror and trauma to a next level. The number of rats on-screen has been multiplied by 60, growing from 5,000 to 300,000! It’s a good number to convey the vision of the apocalypse which keeps increasingly oppressing our heroes. We’ve also changed the aspect of their movement, so that they look like a giant wave, much like a tsunami crashing down on you. We’re lucky to work with our own, in-house engine and rely on it to tackle challenging renderings like this one, of an element which is completely specific to A Plague Tale. 

Shedding a new light on an overcast world 

Thanks to the power of the new GP

Today we’re happy to reveal the PlayStation Plus Monthly Games lineup for October. There’s superhuman clashes in the form of Injustice 2, big racing thrills with tiny cars in Hot Wheels Unleashed and the electrifying strategic combat of Superhot. 

PlayStation Plus Essential, Extra and Premium members can add these three titles to their game library from Tuesday, October 4 until Monday October 31. The PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium Game Catalog lineup for October will be announced later this month. 

Let’s take a closer look at each of the Monthly Games.   

Hot Wheels Unleashed | PS4, PS5 

Collect, build and race in this fantastic arcade sim based on the Hot Wheels universe. Earn new vehicles then take them to the track to race side by side with friends in two-player split-screen, or face up to 12 opponents in online challenges. One you’ve raced, why not try and build your own course? Create amazing layout inside and outside the track editor. Ad loops, special boosters, obstacles and special elements to make an incredible amusement park for your races, then share your creation online for other players to try. 

Injustice 2 | PS4 

The creators of Mortal Kombat return to the DC universe with the biggest superhuman roster. Select from twisted versions of iconic heroes and supervillains and bring epic-scale battles to awe-inspiring locations across the globe. Take on other players locally and online, or immerse yourself in the story-driven single player campaign as Batman struggles against Superman’s regime. You’ll earn gear after every match to equip, customize and evolve your roster. 

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Gran Turismo players! The 1.23 update for Gran Turismo 7 arrives today September 28 at 11:00pm PDT* (September 29 at 7am BST / 3pm JST). 

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Three New Added Cars!

Volkswagen ID.R ’19

The prototype EV that rewrote speed records around the world.

The ID.R’s body is made from carbon-fibre with oversized wings placed on the front and rear to produce maximum downforce. At 5.2 m long, the car is relatively large but actually weighs less than 1,100 kg. The dual-motor 4WD system produces a maximum 500 kW (670 BHP) / 650 Nm (66.3 kgfm), allowing for a 0-62.1 miles/h acceleration time of just 2.25s. These performance statistics put it well on par with race cars using internal combustion engines. In the real world, the ID.R competed in numerous motorsports events around the world with record breaking results. At the 2018 Pikes Peak Hill Climb, driver Romain Dumas set a record of 7m57s, the first ever run to break the 8 minute mark. Again at the Nürburgring Nordschliefe, the ID.R set the record for fastest lap by an EV at 6m5s. At the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the car became the first to ever finished the legendary hillclimb in under 40 seconds with a record of 39.9s. 

Nissan Silvia K’s Type S (S14) ’94

The 6th gen. Silvia presents heightened luxury in a wide body format.

The S14 is 1,730 mm wide compared to the S13’s and the track width has also been increased to match. The new model is also 30 mm longer at 4,500 mm, and 5 mm taller at 1,295 mm for an overall larger body. The softer lines of the body design though makes the width of the car stand out the most. The K’s grade model also featured 16-inch wheels as standard. The engine is a retuned version of the S13’s SR20 series. The highest grade K’s model features an intercooled turbocharger and produces 14 BHP more than the previous generation at 216 BHP/28 kgfm with the naturally aspirated Q’s and J’s models producing 157 BHP/19.2 kgfm. The basic suspension structure has also been carried over from the S13 utilising front struts with a multilink system on the rear. The car was also available with the ̵

Stockpile is back, with a twist, in our brand-new event which launches today in Destruction AllStars! Our second event, Unite, wrapped up last week and now our new event, Survive, is bringing back an old game mode with a new twist as Stockpile Frenzy joins the Trios playlist. This latest event is also adding new game mode “special rules” to add a bit of spice to our existing game modes along with brand new cosmetics for you to earn and unlock, be it through the weekly challenges or our new AllStar Pass! Finally, our competitive mode will be receiving brand new rewards this season, so there’s a lot to dig into in today’s blog post!

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Tornado warning in effect

Stockpile is one of our team based game modes with more of an objective focus, it revolves around collecting gears from damaged opponents and depositing them into your team’s bank to score points. Stockpile Frenzy has been designed from the ground up for the trios playlist where three teams of three players battle it out in the arena with one bank each. Deposit gears in your own bank to score points or drain gears from your opponents banks! Whilst it sounds straight forward, the arena is working against you as a vehicle-destroying tornado tears through the map, devouring anything in its path! You’ll need to show off your driving skill and navigate the arena to get your gears safely to your bank, or execute a close drive by to collect gears near the tornadoes for some last minute points. We’re really excited to get this version of Stockpile back into the multiplayer playlists as we’ve seen lots of requests from our community for its return. The team at Lucid can’t wait to see how everyone reacts to the new danger of the tornadoes and to the new dynamic trios brings to the mode!

Spice up the arena

Tornadoes aren’t the only way in which we’re changing things up in the arena. We’re also adding a series of special rules to our Quickplay and Trios playlists.

On Wednesday, September 28, the Planet of The Discounts promotion beams onto PlayStation Store*. For a limited time, enjoy out-of-this-world discounts on a variety of PlayStation titles, including Demon’s Souls, Rollerdrome, Destiny 2 The Witch Queen and more.