If you’ve ever fancied getting your grinning mug scanned for an official appearance in one of PlayStation Studios’ blockbuster titles, your dream its now one step closer to becoming reality: Sony has unveiled its new Playerbase initiative, designed as a way for its “biggest fans” to appear in-game.
Sony calls Playerbase a “unique opportunity for PlayStation’s biggest fans to step into some of the biggest game worlds by having their likeness scanned.” That starts with Gran Turismo 7, and applications are now open for players in “select markets” across America, Europe, Asia, South Africa, and Australia.
As for the application, it’s a straightforward questionnaire. Most of it’s simple stuff – you’ll need to provide your name, age, and location – but the important bit is the box asking you to share a story about how PlayStation has impacted your life. “You could tell us about when your older sibling first handed you the controller,” explains Sony, “unwrapping your first console, staying up for a midnight launch, why a character’s arc meant something to you, the soundtrack you’ve never stopped going back to – or something else entirely.”
Once applications are closed and scrutinised, Sony says it’ll ask a “limited” number of finalists to participate in video interviews, where they’ll be grilled about themselves in more detail, as well as their “connection to PlayStation”. Then, once all that’s done, one ultimate winner can expect an invite to a visual arts studio in Los Angeles, where they’ll get their face scanned ready to appear in Gran Turismo 7. Specifically they’ll appear for a limited time as an in-game character portrait “similar to how characters are presented throughout the game” – so if you were hoping Sony might stick some wheels to your face and let you drive around in yourself, I understand the disappointment.
There is, however, a bit more to the prize. The winner also gets to meet a designer, and together they’ll create a custom Fantasy Logo and “one-of-a-kind” vehicle livery, to be permanently added to the Showcase menu.
So that’s Playerbase. Sony says it’s looking to expand the initiative and include fans in additional PlayStation Studios titles in the “near future”.
