Overview
- Sony confirmed in July that it will stop producing and selling new PlayStation physical discs in January 2028, a move that prompted sustained community protest.
- Organizers for the one‑week #PSBlackout asked players to log out, power down and avoid purchases from August 23 through August 30, and some participants urged the boycott be extended indefinitely.
- PlayStation sent wide Terms of Service emails reproducing its EULA, including the clause “the software is licensed to you, not sold,” and many users said they received the message just as the blackout began.
- Sony told investors it has not seen measurable business impact from cancellations or the boycott so far, even as petitions with hundreds of thousands of signatures and a large lawsuit in the Netherlands proceed.
- Critics warn the shift to digital will affect game ownership, resale and long‑term preservation, and industry responses—like disc plants repurposing lines and retailers selling boxed download codes—are already under way.