PlayStation Plus Rewards

Project Description

What is PlayStation Plus?

PlayStation Plus is Sony’s flagship subscription service, combining online multiplayer, monthly games, exclusive discounts, and cloud storage. With millions of members globally, it’s a cornerstone of the PlayStation ecosystem and a key driver of engagement.

Problem Statement

To help drive acquisition and add more value for existing members, PlayStation needed a simple, engaging way for Plus subscribers to go beyond core benefits like monthly games and multiplayer - through a new rewards platform that surfaced exclusive offers from Sony and third-party partners in a simple, engaging way.

User & Business Requirements

Deliver added value to subscribers by offering exclusive, easy-to-access rewards on top of core PlayStation Plus benefits.
Make discovery and redemption seamless to ensure users could quickly engage with partner offers without friction.
Reflect regional preferences by allowing European markets to tailor offers to local audiences through third-party partnerships.
Align with business objectives, providing a scalable platform that deepens user engagement and expands PlayStation’s partner network.

User Feedback

Surveys with PlayStation Plus members revealed a clear theme: many didn’t feel they were getting enough value for money beyond core benefits like online play and monthly games.

Additional findings that shaped the project included:

Low awareness of partner offers - Users often didn’t realise rewards or promotions were available, highlighting the need for clearer visibility.
Desire for more personalised content - Many wanted offers that matched their interests or region, rather than generic rewards.
Redemption friction - Previous offers were seen as confusing or cumbersome to claim, pointing to a need for a simpler, more transparent experience.

These insights laid the groundwork for a user-centric rewards platform focused on clarity, relevance, and added value.

Information Architecture

To create a streamlined and intuitive experience, the rewards platform was designed with a simple, scalable structure that made it easy for users to browse, understand, and claim offers. Key considerations included:

Clear categorisation of offers - Rewards were grouped by type (e.g. discounts, in-game content, partner perks) to help users quickly find what interested them.
Location-aware content - Offers were filtered based on the user’s region, ensuring relevance and compliance with local partnerships.
Consistent UI patterns - Navigation, CTA placement, and offer layouts followed PlayStation’s existing design language to maintain familiarity and reduce cognitive load.
Seamless user flow - From discovery to redemption, the journey was designed to minimise friction, with clear signposting and confirmation at every step.
Scalability - The architecture accounted for ongoing additions of new offers and partners without disrupting the existing structure.

This approach ensured the platform felt effortless to use, even as content expanded and diversified across regions.

Competitor Analysis

We benchmarked rewards programs across gaming and other industries to identify best practices and opportunities.

In gaming, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Perks, Ubisoft Connect, and EA Play showcased seamless in-app rewards, gameplay-driven perks, and bundled value. Outside gaming, programs from Lloyds Bank, Moneybox, Sephora, and Amazon Prime highlighted how digital rewards, partner integrations, and tiered experiences can drive user engagement and perceived value.

Key takeaways included embedding promotions into existing PlayStation interfaces for natural discovery, grouping rewards by type for clarity, maintaining visual consistency with PlayStation’s design system, and ensuring transparent user flows with clear confirmation and expiry details.