Group plans one-week PlayStation blackout to protest Sony’s plan to end physical game production — calls for players to turn off their consoles or log out of PSN from August 23 to 30
A game preservation group is asking PlayStation users to stay away from their consoles for a week in protest of Sony's plan to axe physical game disc production. However, others say this is too soft, and a more concrete move would be to cancel PSN subscriptions en masse or refund purchases of pre-sold games.
Sony plans to cease physical game production by 2028, sparking outrage from gamers. Community group DoesItPlay is demanding a one-week PlayStation blackout from August 23 to 30, urging users to power off their consoles or disconnect from the PlayStation Network. The group, along with other developers, asks for "No logins, no play sessions, no purchases on any of Sony's platforms" in their post on Bluesky.
However, experts doubt the boycott's effectiveness, pointing out that August is typically quiet for major gaming events. Some suggest even harsher actions, such as canceling PSN subscriptions for three months or demanding refunds for pre-ordered digital games. Meanwhile, Cyberleek has leaked gameplay footage and a map of a new game, GTA VI, before its official trailer release.
The hacker threatened to continue leaking information until Take-Two issues an apology and promises a better approach. Sony's shift toward digital-only releases has sparked discussions about ownership rights, with some arguing that buying games from digital services doesn't grant complete ownership. Only GOG currently offers complete game ownership.
The gaming industry is increasingly moving towards digital releases, but some believe consumers should support physical media by purchasing game discs instead of downloading them.
Written by urgent.news from Tom's Hardware's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
