The gaming preservation group Does It Play organized a protest called 'PlayStation Shutdown' to oppose Sony's decision to discontinue physical game discs. Participants were urged to keep their PS5 consoles turned off for seven consecutive days at the end of last month.
Market research firm Circana analyzed player activity in the United States during the boycott period. According to Circana executive director and industry advisor Mat Piscatella, the data showed no significant changes in the number of active users or overall platform engagement.
Some users noted that the protest coincided with a period of low activity in the gaming release calendar, meaning few major titles were launched during the boycott. The current data from Circana covers only the US market, leaving the impact in other regions unconfirmed.
Sony previously addressed the controversy in July, stating it would proceed cautiously despite player opposition. CFO Tao Lin acknowledged the strong feedback from the community and mentioned that the company is exploring ways to maintain engagement within a digital ecosystem.
Sony has initiated discussions with retailers regarding the transition away from physical media. The company suggested that US retailers might continue to sell physical boxes containing digital game redemption codes in the future.
