1120°

Sony responds to free PlayStation Store credits found in inboxes

Tanya Valdez writes: Some of you were lucky enough to check your messages on PSN the other day, only to find $10 PSN Points voucher waiting for you. Since then, we have had numerous asking them how it is determined on who receives these vouchers. I reached out to Sony and to end the head scratching. I received a response from a Sony representative who works on the PSN side of the account

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examiner.com
phantomexe4072d ago

I'm on psn alot compared to most of the people on my psn friends list and i spent alot on psn. I'm thinking they sent them to people who dont make alot of purchases on psn ,to try and get them to look around a bit but thats my opinion. Most family that are on psn dont buy much and they all got it. Its good move on sonys part i supose.

violents4072d ago

Agreed, it gets people that havent used the store a reason to go check it out.

admiralvic4072d ago

Even if that was true (it isn't), I don't think forcing ANYONE to use that new store would result in more sales.

guitarded774072d ago

I want to know what the criteria is... some of my friends messaged me saying they got one, and just assumed I'd get one too since I am on everyday and have 200+ downloadable games and 200+ disc games. $10 would have been nice since I just got $30 from Sony rewards.

Azmatik4072d ago

Im actually VERY dissapointed :( ive been a sony fan for yeaaaars had every system at launch and am a undergroud member since 2006 look me up, i live in canada.... Definatly givin sony a call lol but i cant be mad sony is just great.

jadenkorri4072d ago

yeah but if its targeted towards low end users, its a slap in the face for those that spend money and are on every day.

guitarded774072d ago

@ jadenkorri

I don't think it's geared toward "lower end users". All my friends that reported getting one where trophy lvl 14 - 25, and all have huge game collections. Maybe there were newer users getting the credit, but the ones I heard from are veterans.

kreate4072d ago

I got the 10 bucks. Trophy level 14.
Psn account made in march of 2007.

elmaton984072d ago

I agree, i believe is a move to let people be aware of the psn store and all the great games that are in there.

vikingland14072d ago

Um I use it all the time and I got the voucher. So I guess your theory is wrong. I think it was just a random thing. I've had access to alot of betas also. Is that also because I don't use PSN?

Gorilla_Killa_X4071d ago (Edited 4071d ago )

I have probably spent over $2000 on the psn store not counting plus subscription and I got the voucher. As a matter of fact, I have 3 accounts and only received it on the account I used to make psn purchases.

Edit: I will say I have a Vita on that account as well.

calis4071d ago

It's random people. Jesus.

gtr_loh4071d ago

Pretty sure this was totally random. I have all PlayStation systems and 2 Xperia phones as well as a Bravia TV linked on my Sony Entertainment Account. My trophy level also almost stretches to level 14 and have at least 38 games linked onto my profile.

Dee_914071d ago

all I got was assassin creed 3 dlc message :(

ThanatosDMC4071d ago (Edited 4071d ago )

Well i had a PS3 a couple of months after release... maybe that's why I got one? I think it was my Christmas (2006) present for myself.

violents4071d ago

How is that "forcing" anyone to do anything?

How dumb are people, here Im going to give you ten dollars, in turn this forces you to go to a store.

Your rediculous.

+ Show (11) more repliesLast reply 4071d ago
admiralvic4072d ago

It has nothing to do with purchases or at least little to do with it.

My one friend is constantly buying things on the PSN and he got one.
I haven't bought anything past an avatar or two in the past 9 months and I got one.
Another friend spent 400+ last year on PSN games and received one.
Yet another friend spent around 10 dollars on the PSN last year and didn't get one.
My alternate account that hasn't spent a dime in over 2 years didn't get one.
etc.

There was probably another requirement, like "X time online" that decided who got what. I did notice that all my active friends (except 1) got the message, which strongly implies Sony found a good indicator of loyalty or we all got it via random chance. Either or, I've seen both groups (active PSN buyers and inactive PSN buyers) get the voucher.

ABizzel14072d ago

I have to disagree. I'm on PSN often, I'm a PS+ member, and I've downloaded nearly 1,200 items from the Stores since launch, my little brother just got one so he can't have nearly as much content as I've downloaded, and he didn't get it, so I doubt that the reason some got it and some don't.

Whatever it is I want to know.

akiraburn4072d ago

Yeah, I'm a little confused on this myself, as I'm in the same boat. I've also spent hundreds on the PS store, downloaded over 1100 items, have over 4200 trophies (level 21), registered a bunch of products on the Sony site, created my profile including the owned and wanted list on the PS site several years ago, been a PS+ subscriber since day one, and despite all this unfortunately I have not received a code as of yet. I'm not upset, but kind of confused as I'd think that I fit the criteria for it.

dragunrising4072d ago (Edited 4072d ago )

I've spent hundreds of dollars on PSN and got it. I've also been a PlayStation Plus member since its introduction. Maybe its recent purchase history or completely random. Food for thought.

spongeboob4072d ago

I have made a lot of purchases on the PSN through the years and I received the credit email from them.

Thanks Sony, you rock!

Kane224072d ago

actually i spent well over $2000 in my psn account since Ive been on psn for almost 5yrs. personally i think they went by how much you bought there exclusive stuff throughout the time you had your psn account.

evilhasitsway4072d ago

i bought over a $100 worth of stuff this month alone and i got the $10

FFXI1014072d ago

That's not accurate, I bought a lot of games on PSN or at retail store.

I've bought every Sony console or handheld. If what you said was true then I shouldn't receive it but I did.

I was in their reward program too.

FACTUAL evidence4072d ago

Sorry phantomexe, but that whole sending people the 10$ to people who doesn't buy from the store is not accurate at all. I have over 2000$ or purchased content, and I received the 10$ voucher.

slaton244072d ago

i buy alot of things off the psn store and i still got it look up slaton22 if u want to game sometime i have plenty...if that dont work please send measlesonurface an invite or campersonduty

finbars754072d ago

I disagree.I buy stuff all the time along with all my friends and we all got the voucher.Its just a random pick thats all not people who dont spend money in the PS.Its not the first time we have seen this especially with codes to betas and so on.

Good_Guy_Jamal4072d ago

Yes, lets reward those that don't spend money by giving them credits and even less reason to spend money.

Jaces4072d ago

I was skeptical at first but after that $10 credit hit my wallet it was pretty awesome. I thought this was just because my birthday being today.

Guess not but w/e, still wicked cool on Sony's part. :D

morkendo234072d ago (Edited 4072d ago )

im hardly on PSN dont like digital games its like trying to buy AIR you cant see it or feel it.

DizzyDino4071d ago

Sony gave me the money also but I have spent over $1,500 on ps3 games,psn games,themes,add ons, and avatars.

mi_titan274071d ago

i spend alot of money on psn, i get my $10credit as well.

Slapshot824071d ago

I got one and I think it was for people who have purchase either a set amount of money on SEN, or have purchased Full PS4 Games on SEN.

I'm guessing, of course, but I've downloaded numerous Full Games and I got one, but my friends who have not didn't.

andibandit4071d ago

I got 2 vouchers for some reason, but then again my COD:BO2 K:D ratio is almost 3, so maybe its not so strange :)

lilbrat234071d ago

I got this message a few days ago just not sure why I haven't purchased anything in the store in a while. Could be the reason but who knows.

+ Show (16) more repliesLast reply 4071d ago
WeAreLegion4072d ago

It was sent to people who rarely purchase things on the PSN. :)

Redempteur4072d ago

NO
I have psn+ and a large selection of games and rock band dlc ..i buy things regulary and i got one ..

So it's random ..

WeAreLegion4072d ago

That's really weird. All of my friends with Plus didn't get them. All of my old accounts that I haven't used in two years got it and so did my brother's old accounts. Same with friends. I guess that's just a coincidence.

irepbtown4071d ago

Time to check myself, I hope us Brits have got a voucher aswell.

doctorstrange4072d ago

Spoiler: They don't really give a response...

perdie4072d ago

seriously, I don't think any company would start with "thanks for reaching out..."

Insomnia_844072d ago

I spend a lot on PSN and got the $10.

kingmushroom4072d ago

same here, sony has been good to me. fucking love sony

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280°

Sony Taps Bungie's Head of Revenue to Lead Live-Service Games

Sony has recruited Bungie's head of revenue Jaremy Rich to head up its live-service gaming division, Rich has announced on social media.

Read Full Story >>
techraptor.net
ChasterMies14d ago

Please do not put Destiny’s monetization into Sony’s first party games. The monetization is what’s driving players away from Destiny.

just_looken14d ago

The new temp boss is the sony cfo bean counter so i can see this being a thing get every penny.

Cacabunga14d ago

PlayStation officially losing it.. fans will never support gaas games

just_looken14d ago

@car

The new boss did a interview in japan he wants to tap into the mobile market like nintendio so he give 0 fucks about gamers/fans

https://www.pushsquare.com/...

Redemption-6414d ago

@Cacabunga
You only speak for you and those who think like you, but most fans will support what they want. Playstation and PC fans are literally supporting Helldivers 2 and that is a gaas. Maybe you wouldn't, but many more would if they like it.

Huey_My_D_Long14d ago

@Redemption-64
Look, Im not making any judgement calls about this guy, but I will say that Helldivers 2 GaaS model is unique to Helldivers, and legit the only other game I can think of thats similiar was the Avengers game except HD2 pass is still better.
The fact that you can earn in game currency in a way that doesnt make you feel like you have to grind forever, as well you being able work on that pass that you bought...on your own time without a time limit...that right there is fucking huge to me, and I can't name any game other than avengers that avoided trapping players with FOMO logic...I think GaaS on HD2 shouldn't be compared to the rest of the industry...it should be copied.

Einhander197214d ago

Cacabunga

Helldivers 2...

Redemption-64

In Europe it's a 60 40 split favoring PC.
In the US its a 60 40 split favoring PS5.

So PlayStation owners supported the game just fine, it's not getting carried by PC or anything like that.

FinalFantasyFanatic14d ago

@just_looken,
I'm perfectly fine with the way Nintendo entered the mobile market, I never touched their mobile games, meanwhile, the console/handheld stayed the way it is. As for being a bean counter, he's probably going to reel in these massive budgets that Sony's studios have had lately, I haven't played Spiderman 2, but I cannot see how they almost tripled the budget for that game.

@Redemption-64,
That's an exception to the rule, I'm expecting a lot of these GAAS games from Sony to fail, to be fair, they only need a few to succeed, but I would have preferred that they put more of their resources into other types of games.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 14d ago
DivineHand12514d ago

True their monetization is driving players away and at the same time, their decision to chop out content and convoluted systems is keeping new players away from the game.

Joe91314d ago

I don't think that will happen based on how things worked out at Naughty Dog now that we know what we do, seems they had the option to fully commit to live service games or stay making single player experences so they gave up on their live service game. We are not sure how things came about with Bend making a live service game but I hope that was not a forced situation. Sony doesnt seem like they are forcing studios to switch up but we will see, Sony's bread and butter is single player games it is how they dominated the console market.

Obscure_Observer14d ago

Yeah, I though Sony learned something from all their failures in the LS segment under Bungie´s disastrous leadership and supervision which led to games been cancelled, studios closed and all the people laid off.

Looks like Bungie still plays a major role in Sony´s LS initiative and Sony is not backtracking on their GaaS plans.

S2Killinit14d ago (Edited 14d ago )

Are we forgetting that Destiny is also a highly successful franchise? I feel like that definitely deserves mention here.

Besides, there is no reason why a person cant learn from past experiences.

Joe91313d ago

I agree, people act as if Destiny flopped when it came out lol it took 9 to 10 years for the numbers to fall yet people are still playing it add the success of Helldivers 2 no wonder Sony is going forward down this path.

S2Killinit13d ago

Personally, I see no problem with Sony also having service games as long as they make good ones, and more importantly they deliver the AAA story driven games that they are known for. So yeah, I agree 100% with you.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 13d ago
Christopher14d ago

I mean, this person made some pretty bad decisions at Bungie. I hope they've learned from them because I definitely don't see those type of ideas as good for PlaySation in general.

CrimsonWing6913d ago (Edited 13d ago )

Honestly, what’s to learn from? How to make people happily continuously dump money into a single game over its life-time? Buy season passes continuously for several years with a smile on our faces?

GaaS is a design decision that is everything wrong with this industry. The fact that Helldivers 2 did so well and people defend the monetization because it was $40 and is a fun game, scares the sh*t out of me to see that the door is open and all shift will probably be to replicate that in future games. We already know the ROI for traditional game dev cost isn’t doing it for them.

I thought with Jimbo leaving we’d see a change for the better… I’m not so sure now.

S2Killinit13d ago

Service games are being offered by everyone. Sony cannot afford to only create single player AAA games. No one can. They already said they will be doing both.

Abnor_Mal14d ago (Edited 14d ago )

Ps5 gamers in 2023 seemed to play more live service types of games, so regardless to how people feel about them, numbers don’t lie and Sony is going where the money is. I mean look at the excitement around Helldivers2, people are showing that they want live service games.

Christopher14d ago

They play long-time existing live service games like CoD, Fortnite, Apex Legends, Destiny 2, and the like. Mass majority of new live service games are considered failures and aren't moving gamers away from older games.

just_looken14d ago

Yep the huge issue with live service is they need paid players along with a reason to play them.

You forgot mobile market that also taps into that player base as well as the eve online style games there is only a certain amount of krakens/whales blind supporters compared to the amount of live service games we have its not sustainable math wise.

700 restaurants making food for every seat for 1000-3000 eaters just does not work out

Einhander197214d ago (Edited 14d ago )

Christopher

I am not a big live service fan and literally own zero of the games you listed, but that is not true, unless you call games that aren't the top games to be failures.

There are tons of live service games that are profitable.

Games don't have to be the biggest game ever they just need to make more than they cost.

I challenge you to show professionally prepared data that shows that more live service games fail than make enough to keep going.

Because all the data that I have seen shows that live service is less of a gamble than making a big AAA budget game which needs to survive off retail sales.

FinalFantasyFanatic14d ago

I sometimes wonder if we're at saturation point, where it's hard for a new game to join those ranks unless it's particularly exceptional, people only have so much time and money to devote to these types of games.

romulus2314d ago

Correction, they have no issue playing good live service games

shinoff218314d ago

Lol it's not even a quarter of the ps5s sold. Helldivers may have been a hit but let's not say most are enjoying it because truth is most(the real most ) don't care about it.

S2Killinit13d ago (Edited 13d ago )

I play what is fun. If a live service game is good I’ll play it as long as its not a money scheme which Helldivers is not.

And Im a single player gamer.

mastershredder14d ago

How do you kill a franchise that already been killed?
Destiny’s grind, cash-in-on-playbass-cha-Ching, and pop-culture-insertion mainstream-me-too bs totally killed any rep Bungie had. Sony/Bungie, if you are doing this to ward-off players, it’s already working.

crazyCoconuts14d ago

Headline truncated:
"... off a cliff"

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80°

Sony May Soon Let You Decide How Much NPCs Talk In Games

Sony has patented to add multiple dialogue modes to let players switch between how many conversations with NPCs they want in the game.

blackblades20d ago

Sony is like the only ones outta the 3 that has atuff like like this pop up changing thing in ways.

just_looken20d ago

Sony in the past has always been first at bat with new ideas/tech but in the end never fully use it or just toss it away.

blackblades20d ago

I think they did use some but yeah most usually never happened but at least they thought about it. Sony seeks things like this and other, Nintendo seek different ways of playing going by there different controler designs and console designs.

just_looken20d ago (Edited 20d ago )

some of the other stuff sony want's/owns never used
https://gamerant.com/sony-p...
https://gamerant.com/sony-p...
https://www.eurogamer.net/s...
https://metro.co.uk/2023/03...
https://decrypt.co/114754/s...

monitor/adjust game difficultly as you play
https://www.techradar.com/g...

Sony nfts
https://www.theblock.co/pos...

Pay ai to play the game for you
https://thebusinessofesport...

Oh all the above last 12 months

I just imagine a evil scientist with test subjects when it comes down to sony recent patent reports.

Kaii20d ago

Will we get dialogue options that won't spoil puzzles in a matter of seconds? :p

280°

Judge rules in PlayStation's favour in $500m patent infringement lawsuit

Genuine Enabling Technology was seeking damages, claiming the tech allowing PlayStation consoles and controllers to communicate infringes its rights.

Read Full Story >>
gamesindustry.biz
S2Killinit22d ago

Big victory for Sony. And a long time coming.

DarXyde22d ago (Edited 22d ago )

Crazy to think the savings from this lawsuit allows them to develop one AAA game.

Make it Bloodborne 2, please and thank you.

22d ago
Profchaos22d ago

Sounds like patent trolling they tried the same thing against Nintendo with the same pattern.

Motion and control input traversing over higher and lower frequencies seperate from each other allowing the controller to do both

Pyrofire9522d ago

Patents suck. Most of them are complete garbage.

Knightofelemia22d ago

So to recoup the money Genuine is going to take on Nintendo or Microsoft next. I hate patent lawyers they are some of the worst bottom feeders out there.

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