Report: Sony Puts 'PlayStation Rewards' Program On Backburner

Sony said this week that it would not be launching its previously-announced PlayStation Rewards loyalty program in April as originally planned, as the company focuses on other initiatives. "After careful consideration and evaluation following the PlayStation Rewards beta, we have decided not to roll out the program to the public at this time," a Sony Computer Entertainment America spokesperson told Joystiq. "We remain committed to providing the best overall consumer experience for our users, and we will be refocusing our efforts in the near future to further developing PlayStation Plus and our other network services," he said. The rep did not say whether the program is completely cancelled. Sony announced the beta for the PlayStation Rewards program last fall. The program put participants in three reward tiers -- Select, Pro and Legendary -- based on their usage of PlayStation Network services. Sony would award loyal users with avatars, dynamic themes, and content for PlayStation Home, and other rewards and prizes. News that the service would be placed on the backburner came when Sony recently emailed PlayStation Rewards participants stating that "the program is not ready to roll out to the public in April as originally planned." The current focus is on PlayStation Plus, a program which charges users $50 per year to receive access to free games, discounts, early beta invites and full game trials.