PlayStation fans declare war on Sony: PSBlackout boycott set for August 23 over disc phase-out

Sony's State of Play broadcast, focused on the action game Phantom Blade Zero, turned into a protest rally. The stream's chat was instantly flooded with "No Disc No Buy" slogans as Sony left comments open — and players seized the moment, filling the air with hashtags and demands against the platform's shift to all-digital.

In July 2026, Sony announced it would completely stop producing physical game discs starting January 2028. The decision sparked immediate backlash: a petition called "Don't Kill the Disc" gathered roughly 360,000 signatures, thousands of players canceled their PS Plus subscriptions, and the "No Disc No Buy" slogan became a fixture in the comments under PlayStation's official social media accounts.

The organized protest was spearheaded by DoesItPlay, a non-profit focused on video game preservation. The group calls for an "economic and gaming blackout" starting the week of August 23: players are urged not to log into their PlayStation accounts, not to launch any games on Sony consoles, and not to purchase anything from the PlayStation Store. The action is named PSBlackout, and its ultimate goal is to pressure Sony into reversing its decision to abandon physical media.