PlayStation fans are organizing a boycott of the platform following the reveal that Sony will no longer produce physical versions of new games starting in 2028. The effort is the latest in fans’ attempts to dissuade PlayStation from going through with its plan.
The ownership of games is a topic that has concerned gamers for quite some time now. Most of the time, physical media guarantees that gamers can continue to access their games whenever they want, for as long as they want, even if a console is long out of date. Digital games, on the other hand, come with the caveat that gamers don’t actually own them, but are instead purchasing a license to play, which can potentially be revoked. PlayStation’s decision to switch to a discless future hasn’t sat right with numerous fans, accordingly.
PlayStation Boycott of Digital-Only Future Announced
Now, a boycott is being planned of PlayStation services in protest of the company’s plans to switch to an all-digital format in the future. Does it Play?, a proponent of physical gaming media, has shared the plan, which calls for a PlayStation gaming blackout in August. The boycott criticizes Sony over its recent decision, among others, and then calls on gamers to log out or unplug their PlayStation consoles starting on August 23 at 7 pm in gamers’ local time, and maintain that offline state until August 30 at the same time. The thought is that it will demonstrate to Sony how many gamers are upset about this decision, and make the company consider how moving forward with the plan could potentially impact its bottom line.
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As noted, this is just the latest in the effort to get Sony to change its mind. Gamers have shared their displeasure for the move on social media all over the internet, and a PlayStation disc petition has also been making the rounds. Sony has largely remained silent on the matter since it announced the decision, which has frustrated those who have objected to the move. Unfortunately, some industry experts have indicated that it’s highly unlikely for Sony to reverse its course, with one saying that even if half a million gamers decided to cancel their PS Plus accounts in protest, it wouldn’t be enough to make a real dent in Sony’s business.
Sony is likely largely making this decision because it’s simply more profitable to sell licenses to digital games than to manufacture and ship physical copies. Statistics have indicated that anywhere from 70-80% of game sales are digital now, so many gamers likely won’t feel any real reason to push Sony on the matter. These figures have likely only increased since Xbox and PlayStation both introduced discless versions of their consoles in this generation, and at a price cut.
While some are still pushing for Sony to change its mind, this is arguably the path that gaming has been already walking for a long time. The vast majority of PC gamers are now only playing digital games, thanks to platforms like Steam, and many modern gaming PCs don’t even have disc drives anymore. However, even when purchasing a physical version of a game, there isn’t necessarily an actual copy of the game data included. Physical editions with download codes and the Nintendo Switch 2’s Game-Key Cards don’t include the files to the games, with the physical components essentially just serving as display pieces or memorabilia. It will likely take a great deal for Sony to really consider changing its mind on this matter, but some members of the community aren’t giving up just yet.