It looks like Sony accidentally released a backend tool on the PS Store

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Apparently, Sony is testing entitlements on PS5

(Image credit: PlayStation)

Sony went ahead and released an obscure backend application on the PlayStation Store, allowing us a peek behind the curtain into software development transitioning into next-gen.

If you were browsing the PlayStation Store at a very specific time on Monday, you might've noticed a peculiar looking "game." It was $.49, included "PS5 title with upgradable package and trial SKU" in the description, and existed for only a few minutes. If you were quick enough to download the thing, it looked like this when you played it. Naturally, by virtue of having anything at all to do with the PS5, folks were pretty curious to find out what was going on.

Thankfully, Redditor HalfMileRide was kind enough to break down the code into something relatively digestible. Essentially, they say, Sony was testing entitlements on PS5. "A service entitlement is a license that is linked to no actual download, e.g. microtransactions and consumables," the Redditor explains. "There is no use for the app besides testing entitlements directly linked to it, considering that it was removed it's likely no entitlements will ever be available to test."

The exact reason the cryptic application found its way to the PlayStation store will likely never be known, but it sounds like someone at PlayStation goofed while testing compatibility for early server development, and eagle-eyed PS4 players snapped it up for all to behold. Sadly, it didn't offer much more than an interesting glimpse into the great beyond of backend development, but it's always fun to take a forbidden look at what happens behind the scenes.

For the real fun stuff, don't miss our round-up of the most exciting upcoming PS5 games coming our way later this year and the next.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick
Staff Writer

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.