PS5 'Blackout' boycott over discs left US play figures unchanged
A seven-day fan boycott that asked PlayStation 5 owners to switch off their consoles left US play figures almost untouched.
The action, called the 'PlayStation Blackout', was organised by preservation group Does It Play, which campaigns to keep games playable after downloads and servers close. It asked PS5 users to turn off their machines and stay offline for seven days at the end of August, in protest at Sony's decision to end production of physical discs.
Market research firm Circana, which tracks US game sales and player activity, found "no significant change at all" in player counts or engagement during that week, as reported by Video Games Chronicle. The numbers did not move. That finding covers the US only, and does not show what happened in other countries.
The protest is about how games are sold and kept. A disc can be lent, resold and played without a download, while a digital purchase is tied to an account and a storefront, the online shop that handles the sale. Preservation supporters argue that discs give players more control if a store closes or a game is removed from sale.
Sony has said it will "cautiously move forward" with its disc-free plan despite the backlash. The company said it has been talking to retailers about that future and suggested shops in the US may still sell digital codes in boxes, keeping a physical product on shelves without a playable disc inside.
The dispute also reached Sony's own broadcast. Fans calling for new disc policies posted protest messages during September's State of Play, the company's online showcase for new game announcements, according to Polygon.
For disc fans, this leaves a difficult picture. The boycott showed strong feeling among its supporters, but US engagement data suggests most players stayed online as normal.
