Your face could end up in Gran Turismo 7. Sony has launched a new program called Playerbase, and the pitch is exactly what it sounds like: scan a fan's face, put it in the game.
What Playerbase actually is
Sony describes Playerbase as a "unique opportunity for PlayStation's biggest fans to step into some of the biggest game worlds by having their likeness scanned." Applications are open now for players in select markets across America, Europe, Asia, South Africa, and Australia.
The application itself is a short questionnaire. Name, age, location, the usual. The part that matters is a written prompt asking you to share how PlayStation has shaped your life. Sony offers some examples to get the creative juices flowing: unwrapping your first console, staying up for a midnight launch, a game character whose arc hit differently. The point is to find genuine fans, not just people who want a free trip to Los Angeles.
How the selection process works
After applications close, Sony will invite a "limited" number of finalists to video interviews for a deeper look at their personal connection to PlayStation. From there, one winner gets the full experience.
That means a trip to a visual arts studio in Los Angeles, a face scan, and an appearance in Gran Turismo 7 as an in-game character portrait. Sony specifies the likeness will appear "similar to how characters are presented throughout the game," which is worth managing expectations over. You are not becoming a driveable car. You are becoming a portrait, visible for a limited time within the game.
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The character portrait appearance in Gran Turismo 7 is described as limited-time, while the custom vehicle livery will be permanently added to the Showcase menu.
The bonus prize that actually sounds worth it
Here's the thing: the face scan is the headline, but the secondary prize is arguably more interesting. The winner also gets to sit down with a designer and collaborate on a custom Fantasy Logo and a "one-of-a-kind" vehicle livery, both of which get permanently added to Gran Turismo 7's Showcase menu.
A permanent livery in one of the most detail-obsessed racing games ever made is a meaningful legacy. Gran Turismo 7 has one of the most dedicated communities in racing games, and having your work live in that space indefinitely is a different kind of cool.
What comes next for Playerbase
Sony is already signaling that Gran Turismo 7 is just the first stop. The company says it plans to expand Playerbase to additional PlayStation Studios titles in the "near future," though no specific games have been named yet.
The key here is that this is a fan engagement program with real staying power if Sony follows through. Face scanning fans into games is not a new concept, but doing it across a portfolio of first-party titles at this scale would be a genuine differentiator. The program has the bones to become something fans actually talk about year after year.
For now, if you have a PlayStation story worth telling and you want your face in Gran Turismo 7, applications are open. Check the latest gaming news for updates as Sony expands the initiative to more titles. Make sure to check out more:
