Will the PlayStation Blackout Make a Difference?

The gaming industry is moving towards an all-digital future, whether we like it or not. PC games have already made the transition to an almost entirely digital model with the rise of Steam. This generation, console manufacturers began experimenting with digital-only consoles. First with the Xbox Series S, a less powerful but more affordable version of the current-gen Xbox. Then with the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, basically a PS5 that is cheaper because it comes without a disc drive.

Now, Sony has announced plans to move away from disc drives entirely for the PlayStation 6. This has upset many gamers. The consternation stems from the fact that when you buy a digital copy, you don't really own it. If there was any question about that, let Sony clear things up with this email Tom Warren shared on X .

"1.4

The Software is licensed to you, not sold. You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, and personal license to play or use the Software for your private, non-commercial use on the system or device it was intended for. This license is only effective from the indicated Software release date, early access date, or beta release date. Any rights in the Software that we do not say are granted to you in this license are reserved, including all intellectual property in the Software."

Emailing their customers this while players are upset with the current industry trajectory is certainly a choice by Sony. The announcement of the move away from physical games was met with outrage, and now it feels like Sony is rubbing salt into the wound. So how can gamers fight back? Well, there is a plan, and that's to not do anything at all… at least when it comes to using your PlayStation 5.

Allow me to explain: a game preservation group called DoesItPlay has called for a one-week boycott of PlayStation. From their BlueSky account.

"For Several years now, Sony Interactive Entertainment has continued to grow further apart from its fan base. Whether it's closing beloved studios like Bluepoint, pursuing a misguided live-service strategy, canceling fan events, leaving PS VR2 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.

There are so many issues with PlayStation right now that bringing back physical games would only be meeting players halfway. There is still much more SIE can do. We miss T wisted Metal, Socom, Sly Cooper, and Resistance . We miss PlayStation Experience. We miss Japan Studio.

With that, 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."

I think it's good to fight for what you believe in, and perhaps in a week's time we'll see that this had some kind of an effect. However, it feels like the industry is moving in this direction whether we like it or not, and outside of consumers abandoning digital games altogether, there's really no going back.

Circana reported that physical software dollar sales hit an all-time low in July, at just $85 million in the US. From IGN's article.

"Circana's July video games report reveals that for the 2026 year-to-date period, sales of physical software for PlayStation hardware accounted for 32% of total U.S. consumer spending on new physical games. Games made for Nintendo platforms made up 63% of year-to-date spending on new physical software. Xbox wasn't mentioned."

So we'll see if the average gamer takes up this boycott; that's really the only way I can see it having a tangible effect on the industry. Even then, it feels like the momentum of a digital-only future is too great to turn away from now.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Aug 24, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.