PlayStation Home was an interesting project on Sony’s part, and though it was plagued by long load times, it was an ambitious social game that remains nostalgic for those that played it. While PlayStation Home was shut down back in 2015, calls for a new version have been seen from time to time, as many miss visiting PlayStation-themed locations or hanging out at a theater to watch video game trailers with their friends.
Surprisingly, fans have been given a sliver of hope that a new PlayStation Home game could become a reality thanks to the newly announced PlayStation Stars. This rewards program will launch later this year and provides gamers with loyalty points for playing games, earning trophies, and winning tournaments. However, it is the rewards that have gotten gamers talking, as they sound like collectibles that would be seen in someone’s PlayStation Home apartment.
PlayStation Stars’ Digital Rewards Sound a Lot Like PlayStation Home Items
While PlayStation Store wallet funds and access to “select products” from said store sound like great rewards, the section about "digital collectibles" is far more intriguing. According to Sony, the lineup of these collectibles will be just as “diverse” as the company’s lineup of games, citing replicas of PlayStation devices and “figurines of beloved and iconic characters” as some of the digital collectibles. However, no information is provided on where these rewards go once unlocked.
One possibility is that a new section will be added to PlayStation Network profiles, letting players scroll through their digital rewards. While this could provide players with an easy way to access this new collectible type, as well as a way for others to see how it was acquired, it would be a bit odd. After all, having a page of random video game figurines and console images on a PlayStation profile seems odd, and it is hard to imagine many people striving to collect these figurines if they are just a static image on a player’s profile.
However, if these digital collectibles were PlayStation Home items, they would instantly make more sense and feel more interesting. The original PlayStation Home featured plenty of collectible trophies and figurines that could be acquired from completing mini-games, with players then able to place these items on the shelves within their player home. From there, they could invite their friends or random players to their apartment, showing off their collection of special items and fully customized rooms.
A similar system would surely exist in a potential PlayStation Home 2, and it is easy to imagine how Sony could make it work. Platinuming 10 PS5 games could get players a “digital collectible” version of Sony’s latest console, which they could then place and interact with in their PlayStation Home apartment. Similarly, completing the upcoming God of War Ragnarok could reward players with a Kratos figurine, which they could then use within PlayStation Home, posing it in a few different ways.
Obviously, this is purely speculation, as Sony has not announced that a new PlayStation Home is in the works. Still, it seems like a perfect way to make the digital rewards meaningful. While players will likely have no interest in displaying an image of a DualSense controller on their PSN profile, they would likely be more intrigued if they could unlock a DualSense controller to add to one of their apartments in a social game. With the potential for auctions and trades involving these digital collectibles, they could be a huge draw if done right. Hopefully, Sony goes all in on making them special, giving PlayStation Home a second chance in the process.