Today, we’re excited to share news of the launch of PlayStation Rewards, a new program that recognizes and rewards our users for simply doing what they love – playing games and interacting with the entertainment content that PlayStation has to offer. We really wanted to create something that says, “thank you” for being a loyal PlayStation fan.

In its initial launch tomorrow (Oct. 28th), PlayStation Rewards will be an invitation-only beta to all eligible PlayStation Plus and Gamer Advisory Panel (GAP) members. We’re kicking things off as a beta so that we can get feedback from our most loyal fans in order to make it the best possible rewards program it can be. It’s also worth noting that during the beta phase, the program will be focused on PlayStation 3 owners, but we hope to include PSP users as well not too far down the road. Oh, and one more thing: PlayStation Rewards will be free – there is no fee to join!

Now, to give you a bit more details on the new loyalty program… PlayStation Rewards is designed to give you the opportunity to gain exclusive status, recognition, and rewards as a thank you for your continued interest in PlayStation. And, the best part is that you don’t have to do anything different. Keep playing new games, buying content purchased from PlayStation Network in the PlayStation Store and PlayStation Home, download movies and TV shows, or just communicate with us by taking one of our surveys, for example, and you’ll now be recognized for it.

The more you play and participate, the more progress you’ll make through our three reward tiers — “Select,” “Pro,” and “Legendary.” As your status increases, so do the rewards. And if you want to check out your current status level, simply go to your private profile page and look at the reward progress meter.

So what do you get? Right now, rewards include things like…

• Exclusive PSN avatars that display member status in the program
• Exclusive dynamic themes and PlayStation Home content
• Opportunities throughout the program year to participate in members-only sweepstakes and giveaways for experiences and merchandise you won’t find elsewhere (The first of which is an all expenses paid trip to the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, as PlayStation’s guest)

That’s just the start and our plan is to continually grow and improve the reward offering as the program itself evolves. Your feedback in this beta period will help make the program even better!!

If you’re a GAP member or PlayStation Plus subscriber in the U.S., who is opted-in to marketing as of October 24th, be sure to look for your invitation and sign-up for PlayStation Rewards.

To learn more about our new loyalty program, check back tomorrow when the site will be live and the beta forum will be available for all eligible participants.

We look forward to showing you our appreciation along the way!