It all starts this weekend
by Sammy Barker
Angry physical game fans are preparing to unplug their PS5s this week as the widely reported “blackout” is set to get underway.
Protesters frustrated at Sony’s decision to stop manufacturing discs in 2028 have been encouraged to turn off their consoles and not play from 23rd August through 30th August.
The idea is to reduce Sony’s daily active users, one of the platform holder’s most important performance metrics. Obviously this also means no spending within the ecosystem as well.
During a financial report late last month, the Japanese giant said it had seen “no impact” to its business from the various boycotts touted on social media. Many claim to have cancelled their PS Plus subscription, for example.
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Those protesting will miss out on the Modern Warfare 4 beta, which gets underway for everyone from 10AM PDT on 28th August.
Games like Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol 2, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, and Star Wars Zero Company are also set to release during the blackout.
I’m very curious to see if enough people participate to have any kind of impact on Sony’s bottom line here.
As I wrote in a previous article, I respect players taking a stand, but I actually don’t agree with a number of points raised in the letter.
I personally won’t be participating, but I’ll be eager to see the outcome – if there’s any at all.
[source x.com]
As the Editor of Push Square, Sammy has over 15 years of experience analysing the world of PlayStation, from PS3 through PS5 and everything in between. He’s an expert on PS Studios and industry matters, as well as sports games and simulators. He also enjoys RPGs when he has the time to dedicate to them, and is a bit of a gacha whale.