PlayStation gives fans the opportunity to be included in major first-party games

PlayStation has just officially announced 'The Playerbase', a new community program that will allow one lucky fan to work directly with the first-party studio and be represented in the game. PlayStation is starting an experiment with Playerbase Gran Turismo 7although more first-party titles may be included in the near future.

Just last year PlayStation celebrated its 30th anniversary. Over the course of the year, this major milestone was marked by a number of community events and programs, from the sale of limited edition anniversary consoles to the release of several PlayStation-themed soundtracks on Spotify. This new Playerbase program is said to be PlayStation's latest opportunity to “bring some of the [its] devoted PlayStation fans even closer to the PlayStation experience.”

console-more-expensive-than-new-ps5-$650-price-point

8 consoles more expensive than the new PS5 price of $650

The price of the PS5 is higher, but this is not the first time console owners have had to dramatically empty their wallets.

The player base will allow one fan to enter the world of Gran Turismo 7

Playerbase is described by SIE Vice President of Global Marketing Isabelle Tomatis as “a unique opportunity for the biggest PlayStation fans to enter some of the biggest gaming worlds by having their likeness scanned and appearing in a PlayStation game”. The first game world until the bat is Gran Turismo 7.

One fan will get the opportunity to be a character portrait in the game Gran Turismo 7. This fan will also be invited to the PlayStation Visual Arts Studio in Los Angeles to work with a designer to create a unique Gran Turismo 7 Fantasy Logo and vehicle livery. While the in-game character portrait will only be available for a limited time, the Fantasy Logo and vehicle color will remain Gran Turismo 7Showcase menu permanently.

To be in with a chance of winning this opportunity, fans over the age of 18 and from participating regions will need to head over to the PlayStation Playerbase website. After signing in with their PlayStation account, fans will be prompted to fill out a form. This form asks fans to share a special memory that shows their connection to PlayStation. In the first round of selection, fans will be judged on various factors such as the originality of their written submissions and their “demonstrated engagement with the PlayStation brand as evidenced by ownership of PlayStation products, subscriptions, games played, hours played, etc.

Who is that character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Who is that character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Easy (7.5s) Medium (5.0s) Hard (2.5s) Permadeath (2.5s)

In the second round, successful fans will be asked to participate in a video interview in which they will be asked about their history with the PlayStation brand. Here is their “authentic love” for PlayStation and Gran Turismo 7 will be assessed, as will the extent to which their conversation includes “shareable and entertaining content, demonstrating that [their] story is suitably interesting to create more compelling content.” Sometime in the summer of 2026, one winner will then be selected to appear in Gran Turismo 7with an in-game update expected later this year. While Gran Turismo 7 is the first and currently only game to participate in this new Playerbase community program, the official PlayStation Blog post announcing the program states that it could be expanded to include additional PlayStation Studios titles in the near future.