Sony’s getting rid of Accolades, a PlayStation 5 feature present since the system launched, because apparently, no one uses it (via Eurogamer). In case you haven’t heard of it (which wouldn’t be all that surprising), Accolades is a way to anonymously reward other players online for being a “good sport,” “helpful,” or “welcoming,” which then appear on players’ profiles.
On a PlayStation support page, Sony says Accolades will disappear this fall, and its message is actually kind of sad. “The feature hasn’t seen the level of usage we anticipated, so we are refocusing our efforts,” Sony says. “We encourage the community to continue to send positive messages to one another.”
Sony probably rolled this out as a way to encourage the online gaming community to be a little less toxic, but players weren’t that interested in using this system to give others compliments. Plus, Accolades aren’t available for every title and are far less relevant in cross-platform multiplayer games, although some games like Overwatch and (on PC) League of Legends have similar built-in features with Endorsements and Honor. After introducing endorsements, Blizzard developers reported in a 2019 GDC presentation that they saw a 40 percent reduction in matches containing “disruptive behaviors.”
It also doesn’t help that Sony doesn’t make Accolades easy to find (this YouTube video can show you how they work in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War), and many players just don’t know how to use it.
With the launch of the PS5, Sony introduced a host of new features and revamped the system’s interface from the Ribbon UI on the PS4. Some things inevitably just wouldn’t garner enough interest, but to me, it seems kind of soon to ax Accolades, especially since PS5 consoles are only just now becoming easier to purchase.
Even though it’s getting rid of Accolades, Sony continues to add more upgrades to other areas of the PS5. After overhauling its subscription options in March, PlayStation rolled out a new loyalty program, PlayStation Stars, earlier this month, which players can use to earn points that they can then put toward new games.
