PlayStation Stars is one among Sony’s most weird initiatives within the PlayStation 5 period. This system enables you to earn cash you should utilize to purchase video games on PSN, in addition to acquire digital collectible figurines that may solely be seen inside the PlayStation app. And the entire thing has been damaged for the reason that starting of June.
If you happen to’re a standard individual, you’re in all probability questioning what the hell PlayStation Stars even is. Assuming you forgot or have been by no means conscious to start with, like seemingly most PlayStation gamers at this level, this system was an overhaul of PlayStation Rewards that launched again in 2022. Gamers might get cash for purchasing video games or finishing “campaigns” that challenged them to play sure forms of video games in alternate for bespoke collectibles. These can be added to a digital guide shelf that ranged from callbacks to the platform’s historical past to branded cross-overs like Spider-Man Adidas.
Nonetheless, it’s a pleasant approach to earn money again that ultimately provides up. We first began noticing points round June 6, when PlayStation Stars, accessed by way of small icon on the house display of the PlayStation cellular app, wouldn’t open. As a substitute, gamers have been greeted by an error message: “PlayStation Stars is at the moment experiencing points. Our engineers are conscious of the problem and dealing on an answer.”
The timing was particularly odd, since Sony was working a bunch of PlayStation Stars promotions alongside its mid-year Play Days sale occasion. This meant there have been sure collectibles and awards that would solely be earned by buying and taking part in sure video games through the occasion. In response to PlayStation Help, customers would proceed to accrue factors and collectibles even whereas this system was down, although they wouldn’t be capable to see any of it, not to mention monitor what was nonetheless incomplete.
25 days later, this system continues to be damaged. As customers on the PlayStation Stars subreddit have been predicting, that places it past the 23 day outage that PSN infamously suffered again in 2011 following an unprecedented hack. Throughout that interval, PS3 gamers have been unable to play video games on-line, purchase them digitally, or use any of the console’s social options. As soon as service was restored, Sony apologized by giving gamers free video games and a month of PS Plus on the home.
PlayStation Stars wasn’t hacked, doesn’t price cash, and is utilized by far fewer individuals, so its outage is hardly a scandal within the scheme of issues. It’s simply very unusual, and Sony hasn’t but clarified what precisely the issue is nor when the rewards program might be again up and working. The corporate didn’t reply to a request for remark.
Replace 7/2/2024 12:39 p.m. ET: And simply as mysteriously because it went down, service for PlayStation Stars is starting to return throughout a number of international locations and areas. “PlayStation Stars might be returning quickly in phased regional rollouts,” an replace on the PlayStation web site reads. “Thanks to your persistence and we look ahead to welcoming you again.”
It’s nonetheless not clear why the service went down within the first place or what Sony was lastly in a position to repair. Time to see if everybody’s rewards and collectibles are the place they left them and if PlayStation Stars might be issuing any make-goods to commemorate the event.
Replace 7/12/2024 1:20 p.m. ET: PlayStation Stars is lastly working once more within the U.S. over a month after it initially went offline. After checking again each day to see level totals and their collections of digital tchotchkes.
Nonetheless no phrase on why it went down or why it took so lengthy to repair. Sadly, some gamers are nonetheless reporting borked level totals following the outage.
