Sony has announced the launch of PlayStation Stars.

The tech giant's latest venture is a program that allows gamers to play their favourite games and unlock digital rewards at the same time.

PlayStation Stars will launch in earnest later this year and will be made available for free.

The company has explained that after becoming a member, gamers can earn rewards by completing activities or campaigns. Games can then claim their digital rewards, which includes things such as avatars and background images for consoles.

Another of the opportunities includes unlocking specific Trophies in certain games.

Sony has also announced plans for Digital Collectibles - which include digital figures of beloved gaming characters. However, Sony has insisted that the Digital Collectibles are not NFTs and are not related to blockchain technology, either.

Meanwhile, Hermen Hulst - the boss of PlayStation Worldwide Studios - previously promised gamers that the next wave of titles will build on what made the PlayStation 4 era so popular.

Hulst is conscious of what gaming fans want and pledged that the next wave of games will build on the console's successful legacy.

He said on the PlayStation blog: "We're very committed to dedicated hardware, as we were before. We're gonna continue to do that. And we're very committed to quality exclusives. And to strong narrative-driven, single-player games.

"At the same time, we're going to be very open to experimentation, to new ideas. Just trying things out to see what works. I think that's also very much part of the DNA of Worldwide Studios."