Skip to main content

PlayStation Stars program awards high-tier members priority customer service

The PlayStation Stars program launched in Japan today, and fans in Sony’s home country are not too happy about some members getting better treatment than others. According to a report from Video Games Chronicle, they’re specifically upset over Tier 4 members getting priority customer service.

When Sony announced PlayStation Stars in July, it called it a free rewards and loyalty program in which all PS5 and PS4 players can earn rewards for completing various in-game challenges. However, it didn’t mention that there was a four-tier level system they have to work through by purchasing games and earning trophies.

Recommended Videos

Players start at the Level 1 tier when they sign up for PlayStation Stars. In order to unlock the Level 4 tier, they have to buy four games from the PlayStation Store at full price and acquire 128 rare trophies. Once they achieve that, Sony said, they’ll receive a commemorative collectible and priority in the chat when they contact PlayStation Customer Support about any issue they may encounter.

Players’ fury over the four-level tier system in PlayStation Stars didn’t occur in a vacuum. Tensions boiled over after website Automaton discovered the system immediately after its launch in the region. When it shared the news on Twitter, fans bemoaned in the replies that Sony should give equal customer service support to members in every tier, not make quality service a privilege for those with the money and means to reach Level 4 quickly.

“It’s said that the more you play, the more customer support you give priority to, but the more you play, the less you use customer support,” said user koshifurinyodo. “Something is wrong. Give priority to beginners who are not used to it.”

The controversy over PlayStation Stars’ four-level tier system comes after Sony failed to mention it when marketing the program over the summer, giving everyone interested in it the impression that they would receive every single perk regardless of their gameplay frequency. The introduction of the system in the loyalty program after the fact puts players who cannot afford to buy games at full price, or who don’t have the time to play their favorite games to earn rewards, at a disadvantage.

Cristina Alexander
Former Gaming/Mobile Writer
Cristina Alexander is a gaming and mobile writer at Digital Trends. She blends fair coverage of games industry topics that…
I own a PlayStation 5 Pro. It still hasn’t replaced my regular old PS5
A PS5 slim, PS5 Pro, and base PS5 all stand next to each other.

When I first got my PlayStation 5 Pro, I had a whirlwind first week with it. I spent days on end testing as many games as I could to determine how much of an upgrade it really was over my base PS5. I looked at five-minute chunks of games like Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart for hours, comparing every graphics mode on both systems. At the end of my PS5 vs. PS5 Pro testing, the result was clear: The PS5 Pro was indeed the more powerful console and, frankly, the most capable gaming device I had in my entire home.

So why, just two weeks later, am I still using my regular old PS5 so much?

Read more
Oh hey, GTA 5 is back on PlayStation Plus this month
Michael on the phone in Grand Theft Auto 5.

November's PlayStation Plus lineup is packed with games this month, both in terms of quality and quantity. However, with Grand Theft Auto 6 on the horizon (hopefully sometime next year), arguably the biggest addition is Grand Theft Auto 5, which is back on the subscription service after leaving earlier this year.

There's not much to say about GTA 5 that hasn't already been said. It's one of the bestselling games of all time and still holds up more than 10 years after release. It's likely you already own it on some platform, but if you somehow don't or just want to play it on the PlayStation 5 or 4, you can play it for free with an Extra or Premium subscription.

Read more
The PlayStation 5 just got a discount in time for the holidays
A lit table holds a PS5 Pro, and a PS5 all digital, the former standing noticeably taller.

Play Has No Limits | PS5

PlayStation announced its big holiday deal on Tuesday, discounting the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition by $70 from now until December 24, 2024.

Read more