It appears that Sony will be discontinuing one of the new features that came along with the PlayStation 5. However, it's unlikely that anyone will be shedding a tear over it, as most of you may have not even heard of it. Accolades were introduced along with the PS5 as a function which would commend players on their online behaviour.
Players could be awarded with Accolades like Helpful, Welcoming, or Good Sport for their online behaviour. However, this didn't result in anything besides a digital badge, and not many players ended up using it. This has resulted in PlayStation pulling the plug on this feature. This decision was announced on the PlayStation Japan support website (thanks, Siliconera).
"From the fall of 2022, the PlayStation 5 [Accolades] function will no longer be available," said the notice on the website. "We will stop providing the service because the usage rate has not reached the expected rate. Please continue to communicate positive messages to the community."
There's no word on when exactly the feature will be removed, but considering all things, you probably won't even notice when it's gone. Unlike its more popular cousin, Achievements, hardly anyone ended up chasing or awarding other players with Accolades. The functionality was put in place to promote well mannered and non-toxic behaviour while interacting with other players in multiplayer games.
It appears that Sony isn't going to be meeting its financial goals, and has adjusted its expectations accordingly. The biggest reason for this financial dip is the slump in game sales. "The growth of the overall game market has decelerated as opportunities to go out have increased following a decline in Covid infections," noted chief financial officer, Hiroki Totoki during an investors meeting. Sony announced a 16 percent cut to the annual forecast for its Game & Network Services department, resulting in a 37 percent drop in operating profit.
However, things aren't all that dire, as the company revealed that it's getting a handle on the console supply issues. "Last quarter was just a bump in the road for Sony," said Founder of Kantan Games, Serkan Toto. "It looks like Sony is actually now getting more and more PS5s into stores, especially in the US and Europe.”