This week Sony announced a new initiative called The Playerbase, which it describes as "a unique opportunity for PlayStation’s biggest fans to step into some of the biggest game worlds by having their likeness scanned and appear within a PlayStation game." It sounds like a lot of work.
While the company hopes to “expand and include fans in additional PlayStation Studios titles in the near future,” Playerbase currently features in just one game: Gran Turismo 7. Whoever wins the initial competition will be scanned and included as a “limited-time” portrait—not a character model—in the game. They’ll also be given the chance to design “a custom Fantasy Logo and a one-of-a-kind vehicle livery” to live permanently in the game’s Showcase menu, which as far as I can tell is something players are already able to do.
So, how do fans enter to win? It’s something of an… involved process. Straight from Sony’s rules, here’s the first part:
ROUND ONE – WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS AND DEMONSTRATED ENGAGEMENT: At the close of the Contest Period, qualified employees of Sponsor and Promotion Entities (“Contest Judges”) will evaluate the eligible Entries according to a combination of skill-based criteria found in your Written Submission and account history, including: (i) the originality of your written submission, (ii) your written submission's relevance to the theme of passionate PlayStation Studios fandom, (iii) your written submission's demonstration of your personal connection to PlayStation Studios fandom, (iv) your demonstrated engagement with the PlayStation brand, as evidenced by ownership of PlayStation products, subscriptions, games played, hours played, etc., and (v) your demonstrated engagement with Polyphony Digital, as evidenced by ownership of games from those studios, hours played, number and type of game trophies obtained, etc. Based on this criteria, the Contest Judges will select approximately fifty (50) to one hundred fifty (150) Entries to advance to Round Two.
Cool! Sounds kind of like a cover letter, though. What next?
ROUND TWO – RECORDED VIDEO INTERVIEWS: Eligible Entries selected to advance to Round Two will be notified on or around April 30, 2026 via an email communication from the Sponsor or Promotion Entities which will be sent to the email address associated with their PS Account (“Round Two Notification”). To be eligible to advance to Round Two, eligible Entries must respond to the Notification within five (5) days from when the notification was sent and must agree to complete and sign a waiver & release granting rights to Sponsor and the Promotion Entities to film and record a video interview, and to use the proceeds of the recording for advertising and for the purposes of determining a winner of the Contest. The Contest Judges will evaluate the video interviews of the remaining eligible Entries according to a combination of skill-based criteria, including: (i) Love for PlayStation: how much your interview expresses an authentic love for PlayStation and details your personal history with the brand, (ii) Love for relevant game: how much your interview expresses an authentic love for the Video Game, (iii) Content: how much your interview includes shareable and entertaining content, while demonstrating that your story is suitably interesting to make further compelling content, (iv) Representative of PlayStation Players: how much your interview confirms you represent the PlayStation community, and (v) PlayStation Brand Guideline: how much your interview meets the conduct expected of someone representing PlayStation and affiliated games. Based on these criteria, the Contest Judges will select three (3) Entries to advance to Round Three.
OK, this part is just a straight up job interview. For something akin to a brand ambassador position that requires your unfaltering loyalty. And of course, anything you say can and will be used for advertising (specifically, entrants grant Sony “a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, worldwide, complete, sub-licensable and irrevocable right to quote, re-post, publish, edit, use, adapt, translate, archive, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works from, syndicate, license, print, sublicense, distribute, transmit, broadcast, and otherwise communicate, and publicly display and perform the Entry, or any portion thereof, in any manner or form, without notice, payment or attribution of any kind”). The winner also has to pass a background check.
But at least the winner gets paid for their labor, right? Well, no. Unless you consider the means and opportunity to do more work payment, in which case, yeah, definitely!
In connection with the scanning, Sponsor will arrange for and provide the winner and one (1) guest with travel to the PlayStation Studios Visual Arts studio in Los Angeles, California, United States. Travel will consist of two (2) round-trip airfare tickets, one (1) hotel room (for 2 nights), and a $200 USD per diem for meals. The winner will be solely responsible for ensuring that the winner and guest have all necessary travel documentation to enter and travel within the United States (including ESTA, VISA, passports, etc.). The winner will be responsible for any costs and expenses not listed in the Grand Prize, including but not limited to travel insurance costs. If the winner is a resident of Japan, the above airfare, hotel accommodation, and meals shall not be provided, and the winner shall be solely responsible for all costs and expenses associated with travel to and from, and attendance at, the PlayStation Studios Visual Arts studio. The Approximate Retail Value (ARV) of the Grand Prize is $0 USD for the scanning and inclusion in the video game, and an estimate of $4,000 USD for the travel, lodging, and meals, depending on the residence of the winner.
I am intensely skeptical of that last number unless someone is coming from the other side of the world—and obviously not Japan—but at least the winner and a friend will be able to afford a couple decent meals.
On the whole, Playerbase sounds like it fits neatly within the grand lineage of jobs masquerading as contests, like Ubisoft’s repeated attempts to crowdsource game assets from Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s HitRecord “collaborative media platform.” Perhaps the vision Sony alluded to in its announcement is more impressive than a temporary human portrait in a game predominantly about cars; maybe someday the same person will be able to achieve digital immortality across multiple games. But even then, we’re talking about something fully within Sony’s control, for which those whose likenesses the company leans on won’t have been paid and presumably will not receive residuals. Seems like kind of a crummy deal! Especially in comparison to the even more time-honored tradition of companies just giving away cars—you know, in addition to the opportunity to advertise them.
Recommended
Luke Plunkett
