PlayStation 5 users upset over Sony’s decision to cease production of physical game discs have proposed a week-long blackout protest.
As Sony shows no signs of backing down from its stance on an all-digital future, its socials are blowing up at the minute with thousands of angry comments flooding underneath every post and video.
Now, the protest has entered a new phase, with some content creators organising a week-long blackout of the service to send a message to Sony.
“For several years now, Sony Interactive Entertainment has continued to grow further apart from its fan base,” reads a statement from X user Does It Play.
“Whether it’s closing beloved studios like Bluepoint, pursuing a misguided live-service strategy, canceling fan events, leaving PSVR2 to die, or being completely out of touch with the franchises players want to see return, PlayStation has never felt more disconnected from its community.
“Ending physical discs in 2028 feels like the last straw. We understand there is only so much SIE can control, but with the decisions that are within its control, the company continues to mismanage the strong position it inherited from the PS4 era.”
Does It Play suggests that players take part in a week-long blackout to protest these decisions.
“We are calling on PlayStation players to participate in an economic and gameplay blackout from Sunday, August 23, at 7:00 PM local time through Sunday, August 30, at 7:00 PM local time. Players can participate by turning off their consoles or logging out for seven days. We feel that this period gives publishers and developers minimal impact while still giving players a voice.”
Will the PlayStation protest campaign actually achieve anything?
The campaign may have good intentions, but it seems like this may only be a small drop in the ocean that is the PlayStation ecosystem.
As of the time of writing, the post from Does It Play has 13,000 likes. Meanwhile, PlayStation Network reportedly gets around 123 million active users each month as of June 2025.
Even assuming that every single person who liked Does It Play’s post takes part in the blackout, that only accounts for 0.01% of the total number of active PlayStation users, a number that’s basically imperceptible to the Sony higher-ups.
As much as players are speaking up about Sony’s decisions regarding physical media, it seems to have had not much of an effect on the wider PlayStation ecosystem. For example, the digital-only Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops II ports on PS5 from earlier this month knocked Grand Theft Auto VI off the platform’s bestseller list, despite the fact that the games released over a decade ago were being sold for $40 each.
Altogether, it seems like Sony has made up its mind on this and won’t be backing down from its decision. The physical market only makes up a small number of sales, with only seven PlayStation games in 2026 selling more than 100,000 physical copies, compared to millions sold digitally on the PlayStation Store.
