PlayStation Blackout Yielded Less Than Noticeable Results In U.S., Sources Indicate
Perhaps a boycott longer than a week would serve better...
"ColonelFancy" Mike Lind
9/15/20262 min read
Since the announcement of PlayStation's decision to go full digital in 2028, this statement was met with major backlash from the fanbase, who fear that in a marketplace where prices are rising, true ownership of games are in further jeopardy. In response, a grassroots movement from Does It Play organized a company-wide blackout against PlayStation, encouraging users to not turn on, login, or purchase anything from PlayStation to let them know their voice must be heard. In theory, this is an excellent idea, providing the player base properly coordinate and stick to a plan.
So what has been the results thus far? Data from Circana's Mat Piscatella indicate that in the United States show that it has been minimal from a certain perspective. Circana is a player engagement tracker and market research HUB, and according to Piscatella, there appeared to be no noticeable in PlayStation player engagement in their data. When asked by a user on Bluesky, the VGI Advisor replied "No. There was no significant change at all in player count or engagement in our tracking".
It's worth noting these metrics only track player engagement in the United States, so it isn't a complete aggregated assessment of speculation. Perhaps overseas may show different results, but for the time being, it can be safe to assume that the Playstation Blackout was not a particularly effective method for the United States. Physical media is certainly worth protecting, but data has shown that the migration to digital gaming was a growing norm. Not necessarily because it BECAME convenient, but rather the means of the industry dictated it to be so. The blueprint established by Game Pass, major retailers like Walmart and Target no longer carrying Xbox and PlayStation games en masse, and Sony themselves closing down factories that print blank Blu-Ray discs serve as a major factor for where video games have been steered.
Are physical media players a minority? The numbers do indicate that may be true. the other end of the spectrum perhaps tells the tale that the base mostly wants to play their games, and that's where the priority lies. It may be an issue that the industry, namely Sony, knows that, and will not change without a more grandiose statement from a community that has to PROVE they're being disenfranchised.
SOURCE: Bluesky