The much-debated ‘PlayStation Blackout’ social initiative is slated to start tomorrow, but does the action have as much energy behind it as it would need to be noticed? Boycotters have called for PlayStation fans everywhere to power down from August 23 to 30, demanding that they show Sony that they’re serious about opposing the transition to an all-digital future.
However, the #PSBlackout initiative has drawn widespread criticism because of how it’s being handled, and many predict that it’ll do nothing in the bigger picture.
Are you planning to switch off your PlayStation platforms for a week starting tomorrow?
PlayStation Shutdown Seeks to Scare Sony
In a post on social media a couple of weeks ago, folks opposed to Sony Interactive Entertainment’s decision to stop printing new PlayStation discs in January 2028 started sharing an image.
This image spoke of a desired effort to push for a widespread shutdown of PlayStation engagement starting tomorrow, August 23.
We are calling on PlayStation players to participate in an economic and gameplay blackout from Sunday, August 23 to Sunday, August 30. Players can participate by turning off their consoles or logging out for seven days.
We feel this period gives publishers and developers minimal impact while still giving players a voice.
The activism effort drew criticism from the masses for a few reasons, the most important of which was the irrelevance of the window. It’s almost an arbitrary period that poses little threat, and it’ll be ‘easy’ for PlayStation users to drop into silence while it plays out.
It would have been a much more important step if it were to land during Wolverine’s upcoming launch, or better yet, during the release of Grand Theft Auto 6.
Also, it takes place during Gamescom week, at which time tens of thousands (if not more) of PlayStation gamers will be occupied at the event.
In social circles, the inevitable surfacing of opposition took place, with some saying they’d switch on their PlayStation devices for longer or buy more games during the week. That was to be expected, though.
Ultimately, the #PSBlackout action will likely transpire in almost complete silence, with a minute minority of gamers turning off their consoles in the hope that something somewhere changes at Sony.
Spoiler alert: It won’t change a thing.
Are you participating in the PlayStation blackout? Let us know why on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
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Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
More from Grant Taylor-Hill
I haven’t turned on my PS5 since Saros, and that’s not changing until GTA 6, so I guess I’m participating by default.
Lol
Of course I’m playing on my PS5. My only lament was buying the Wolverine controller yesterday instead of tomorrow.
All of these bots posting about physical games are just trolls, many who don’t own a PlayStation. Case in point: NMS 10th anniversary trailer. Comments: no disc, no buy.
They’re also extremely silent about Valve’s console not having a disc drive. And yes, I’m well aware that PC ditched physical over a decade ago.
Xbox has been pushing digital for years. Silence. Playstation and Nintendo are the last two game companies to keep physical alive.
All of this is performative. And the vast majority represent 0.00076% of the player base.
Activism is usually annoying, but this is a big deal to a lot of us. I haven’t been an activist on this per se, but I’m certainly upset by this anticonsumer decision. Your claim that basically no one buys physical anymore is complete bogus by the way. Most big games sell 50/50 physical/digital. And besides, most people use music streaming apps, but they still make vinyl records and CDs.
PlayStation going digital can’t compete with PC on any level. This a level of greed we have never seen from Sony until now. This a console and that means a closed ecosystem. I’m 100% in support of doing whatever needs to be done to Sony for them to understand that they’re where they’re at because of the fans and those who love the PlayStation brand. Besides that companies like them are learning that the high seas are being sailed more than ever and that they’re the ones who caused it.
Always keep one very important thing in mind. If Steam shuts down for whatever reason – a PC still stays a PC. If Sony’s store shuts down for whatever reason – the PS becomes useless junk.
This is so stupid
Hell no! I’m not joining the Luddites in yet ANOTHER temper tantrum.
Playing video games for me is a hobby something to pass the time, when it gets to a point where I am being told how I have purchase and play my games is where I draw the line. It doesn’t matter to me because when physical gaming is done thats when I am done with video games
Lol, no. The amount of people that actually care is so insignificant that it will do nothing. Its really just a bunch of crybabies that can’t leave the past behind. PC master race for the win
What am i 12 🤣
They leave me no choice, I went the extra mile to cancel my Playstation plus subscription and going offline. Change course Sony.
Hmmm nah am good
I just fixed my PS3 man 😭
ALL I WANNA PLAY IS MODNATION, PSASBR AND PARAPPA 2 😭
It’s not fair to buy something you can not actually have, something that can disappear at any time if they don’t like you. I already miss having a collection, nothing seems personal anymore, I never liked socialism being the drive behind anything in life, I don’t care what others are doing, I don’t care what other like, not my business. I just wanted to try something that looked fun or like something I might enjoy and then enjoy it alone. It feels like another freedom being taken forcefully away from me and now I’m not sure I even want to be a part of it, I gave not bought a new game in quite some time bc I just don’t like the way they make them anymore, nothing is as good as the older style. Plus I bought a used ps5 and it was already damaged from the liquid chip, it only plays ps4 games and streams movies so yeah
I’m upset about sony’s refusal to press blurays for its own games but also other devs’, including for ps5 (worth remembering).
However its not even all-digital sale strategy I’m opposed to – I require a physical **Bluray drive** in any console I buy. Profit included, sony’s own drive is barely 90$ so its *unacceptable* for the base price of a console to rise so considerably (expected more than double, and if ps5’s price decreased as it shouldve been then more than triple the previous gen’s).
Wether sony wants to sell games digitally or not, a bluray drive must be included and the ps6/5 media player also must be a lot more fully featured. Its 2026 and despite having full support and hardware acceleration for multimedia formats it allows their use only streamed by youtube and netflix.
This is like saying “we don’t like/want progress”, grow tf up. It’s going to happen one way or another, why? BECAUSE ITS THE FUTURE, everything is gonna be digital. We’re supposed to move forward not backwards. Yeah I had a massive gaming collection but none of it was worth it. Focus on a gaming collection that’s old, games that are no longer in circulation. Ebay, buy them on there and collect. Jesus, I have one 100 funkos, their worth nothing, but to me their worth everything. I like digital games, I can hop from one to another. Also if you buy a digital copy, it’s yours, it’s not a rental. Good Lord, I’ma still be on gaming 🎮
And what happens when digital Goes down then what will you do? What if you’re game servers shut off what do you do what if you’re internet goes down then what do you do. You don’t truly own it if you can’t touch it it’s not truly yours it can be taken away at any time. Give me all your money and I’ll give it back to you digitally are you good with that?
I am not joining nobody I like playing new games from insomniac and Ubisoft Assassin’s Creed Black flag re synced and I really like playing MARVEL spider man 2 and all of my PlayStation 5 games my PlayStation 5 PRO is all digital i don’t care about physical game disc I really like digital games better because I get to play my games full story
You guys are missing the point. It’s not just about having the option to play games digitally. It’s about Sony creating a monopoly and making games whatever price they want and you don’t actually own any digital games. The blackout is to help at least get some rights to our purchased digital games. It’s nice to have physical games and have multiple options to buy a game, for resale it or giving it to a friend or family member.
The ones making fun of the blackout and the people that support it will be the same people to cry when they lose access one way or another. I dont get how anyone can use their hard earned money to buy something they will never own.
People happy owning nothing after a purchase should continue their SONY relationship.
Why give corporation money for little to no value in return?
Nothing changes at corporate level until enough consumers choose not to buy digital products.
To give an honest opinion, if these digital storefronts including Steam was labeled a rental services i would have less unfavorable thoughts about them.
This comment section are cooked. People basicly are happy to pay full money for something that they will never own.
I have a suggestion here! OK we do not want discs, give us a an SD card or USB stick that has the game credentials that a console can verify ownership exactly like how its done on the CD. The idea behind this is ownership. So we can sell this sd card or usb stick and the new owner can then plug it in the console and download the game. Therefore without this stick or sd card the game can not be played.
But guess what they do not want ownership and this will never be implemented. They want to make money from every person who want to buy the game! Ownership doesn’t give them this profit margin they are striving for.
Been taking part in the PS Blackout for over a year now. I can’t remember the last time I turned that shit on LoL. I am mostly on my PC, sometimes Steam Deck… and my Series X for Game Pass games or Arc Raiders
This new generation are nothing but consumer retards, what good is buying something you don’t truly own?
What happens when they want you to agree to something you wont agree to and you can’t even start a game you already paid for?
What happens when they threaten to shut down the very use of your device, your account and everything you’ve “owned” because you don’t qualify or violate some bogus standard?
You don’t think past five seconds so of course a week without gaming would send you into withdrawals, this is the same thing with the move towards a cashless society no cash means everything you do everything you buy is seen, marked and documented, no privacy, and if some trash leader gets put into place like a Canadian dictator and decides you are out of line who’s to say they won’t shut down you very way of living? It’s happened before with covid, your generation are the slop eaters if they say slop is the new hottest thing y’all will get in line to be the first ones to eat the slop, you will own nothing and you will be happy…
Your website is weirdly supportive if Sony’s actions and pushing down consumer efforts. It’s a bit too obvious so control yourselves, yeah?
the blackout is a totally useless move. if you want to really make things change , need to stop buy digital stuff including xbox and nintendo stuff also. sony are not the only company turning digital right now.