PlayStation Rewards in limbo - Report

Last October, Sony announced PlayStation Rewards, a free loyalty program aimed at avid PlayStation 3 users. According to the company, the tiered program was designed to allow players to "gain exclusive status, recognition, and rewards based on a variety of PlayStation-centric activities they engage in across the PlayStation ecosystem." Activities that yielded rewards included buying content from the PlayStation Store, playing a game for the first time, or taking PlayStation surveys. In December, the company introduced quest meta-games as another form of advancement.

Like most schemes of such a large scale, PlayStation Rewards first underwent an extended beta process, one which is wrapping up at the end of the month. However, according to a report on gaming blog Joystiq, Sony has shelved plans to launch PlayStation Rewards in April.

In an e-mail sent out to beta participants, Sony explained that, "Based on what we learned, we have decided the program is not ready to roll out to the public in April as originally planned. But rest assured, we will continue to thank loyal and devoted customers like you with innovative offerings."

In a follow-up e-mail to Joystiq, the company offered further explanation. "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," said a Sony rep. "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."