Not enough PS5 players used Accolades, so Sony is ending support sometime this fall
Sony plans to drop support for the Accolades feature on PlayStation 5, and if you’ve got a PS5 and you don’t know what I’m referring to, you aren’t alone. Accolades were intended as a way for PS5 players to show “appreciation” for others in online multiplayer games.
Users can send Accolades like Helpful, Good Sport, Leader, and Welcoming as a little feel-good post-match moment, and the badges are listed in player profiles.
A nice idea in theory, right? Well, in a new notice posted today, Sony said it would discontinue PS5 Accolades due to lower-than-anticipated usage.
“In fall of 2022, the Accolades feature on PlayStation 5 will no longer be supported. The feature hasn’t seen the level of usage we anticipated, so we are refocusing our efforts. We encourage the community to continue to send positive messages to one another.”
With the PlayStation Stars loyalty program on the way, I wonder if there’s any room there to encourage positive player interactions.
You can see your Accolades in your PS5 profile
I have no real memory of sending — or receiving — any PS5 Accolades, but I was curious enough to double-check my profile, and the results speak of themselves:
A whopping two accolades!
Granted, I’m not much of an online multiplayer person these days, but the PS5 is easily my most-used platform, so while I expected a low number, I didn’t think it’d be that low.
The thing is, I like the idea of giving other players kudos for going above and beyond or, let’s be real, just not being a jerk — we’re all in this mess together. If you’ve played highly competitive games like Overwatch, you might feel similarly; you come to really cherish the positive online experiences after putting up with horrible vibes for so long.
In this case, I just don’t think there was enough of an incentive for players to care about PS5 Accolades long-term. A lack of awareness about this feature didn’t help matters.
While it’s not a direct comparison, my favorite “you’re doing great!” feature is the cute little stickers in the Monster Hunter series. They’re so fun to use at the right moment.
