In just a few months, Sony will be celebrating a pretty momentous occasion. The PlayStation 30th anniversary is technically in December, but that isn’t stopping the company from commemorating the milestone with several releases and activities for fans to partake in.
How is Sony celebrating PlayStation 30th anniversary?
Unsurprisingly, Astro Bot kicks off the festivities. The game is essentially a tribute to PlayStation’s iconic characters throughout the past 30 years.Team Asobi have even included a PlayStation 30th anniversary photo opportunity in the game’s central hub. PlayStation shared a brief glimpse of the photo op in a new video seen below.
Gran Turismo has been part of PlayStation’s history since its first release in 1997. Sony is hoping to entice more players to the popular real driving simulator with My First GT. Coming this holiday to PS5 and PS4, the upcoming release is a free trial version of Gran Turismo 7 designed to appeal to players of all skill levels. It will include cars, tracks, and race events from the 1997 original.
PlayStation is collaborating with Sony Music to bring some fan favorite soundtracks to the music streaming service Spotify. Sony will release a soundtrack to the streaming service every month between October and January. Fans who don’t stream music can purchase the soundtracks digitally for various digital music retailers including Amazon Music, Apple Music, and other participating music retailers. The soundtracks include God of War, God of War 2, God of War: Ghost of Sparta, Twisted Metal, Starhawk, and Unit 13.
Sony will also sell a new collection of products to commemorate the PlayStation 30th anniversary with Shapes of Play. Created by the team that designed the PlayStation consoles, the new line of products are essentially toys. Shapes of Play: Battle is a board game where two opponents attempt to line up four different shapes of the same color on the board to win. Shapes of Play: Create is a set of magnetic toy blocks. Lastly, Shapes of Play: Recharge are PlayStation themed fidget toys. The collection launches in December 2024 through PlayStation Direct.
Lastly, during the weekend of September 21, 2024, PlayStation will hold a free online multiplayer weekend to celebrate the online gaming community. Players will be able to play online multiplayer games without a PlayStation Plus membership for no additional cost on PS5 and PS4. Additionally, sever PS5 esports tournaments will be held for games like NBA 2K25, Madden NFL 24, Tekken 8, Guilty Gear Strive, and more. PS5 players can sign up on the game hub or the in-game PlayStation Tournaments button.
Sony also teased more announcements will come in the near future that will celebrate the PlayStation 30th anniversary.
(Source: PlayStation Blog)