Due to how little people are using the function, Sony will discontinue the PlayStation 5’s accolades system in the near future. It is unknown when exactly it will disappear, though it will be some time in Fall 2022. While you will not be able to send accolades to other players, Sony still hopes that people create a positive gaming environment and community. The news comes courtesy of a notice on PlayStation Japan’s support site announcing the change [Thanks, ryokutya2089!].
Accolades are a function unique to the PlayStation 5. You mostly send them to players you had a positive multiplayer experience with. There are three accolades you can send – Helpful, Welcoming, and Good Sport – to define what it was about the player you liked. You can also look at your accolades to see what other players liked about you in your matches.
However, Sony has noted that there are less players using the service than it expected. Because of that, it will discontinue the system. You will no longer be able to send accolades, and it is likely that you will lose all of the accolades you accumulated. Sony did not elaborate on why it thought PS5 users were not using accolades, but not all PS5 games with multiplayer functionality support the feature, or surface it regularly. Accolades are currently supported by first-party titles like Ghost of Tsushima‘s Legends mode, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, and Destruction AllStars. Select third-party titles like Black Ops Cold War and Rainbow Six Siege support PS5 accolades, too.
Sony shipped out over 19.3 million units of the PS5 as of May 2022. However, Sony has reported that this number is below its sales target for the console. There are still difficulties in shipments due to issues with the supply chain, as well as shortages. In the same month, sales of the Xbox exceeded those of the PS5 for the first time in Japan.
The accolades function on the PS5 will no longer be available in Fall 2022. The PS5 is available worldwide.
