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PlayStation's Franchise Rewards program gates merch behind in-game trophies

Sony is introducing a new rewards program for PlayStation owners that lets you purchase exclusive physical merchandise if you've unlocked certain in-game trophies. The company is starting with rewards for two trophies from Sucker Punch's Ghost of Tsushima (rewards for Ghost of Yotei are in the works), and Sony will presumably offer something similar for all of its most popular game franchises.
The "Ghost Rewards" you might have earned playing Ghost of Tsushima include a $25 commemorative pin shaped like a mask (unlocked for earning the game's "Living Legend" Platinum trophy) or a $30 custom t-shirt with what looks like a gold woodblock print design (unlocked for earning the "Mono No Aware" Gold trophy). In order to claim either reward you have to login to your PlayStation account on a dedicated website before December 31, 2025, and despite what the term "reward" might suggest, pay for either item to actually receive it. The reward, in this case, is access, not the merch itself.
Sony's last attempt at some kind of loyalty or rewards program was the short-lived and entirely digital PlayStation Stars program. While it was running, it let you earn "Stars" for playing specific games or doing activities on your console, and then spend those Stars on what amounted to digital models of characters or items. The program always felt a bit like an NFT feature that the company had quickly reworked when blockchain tech fell out of style, and it made sense when it abandoned it.
Rather than PlayStation Stars, Franchise Rewards is most similar to Bungie Rewards, the program and online store the Destiny 2 developer has run since 2018. Via Bungie Rewards you can unlock commemorative shirts, jackets and more for completing in-game activities in Destiny and Destiny 2, including the series' multi-hour raids.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/playstations-franchise-rewards-program-gates-merch-behind-in-game-trophies-182001158.html?src=rss