PlayStation blackout planned for a whole week by gamers protesting Sony's physical disc decision

Gamers are planning a week-long PlayStation blackout to protest and make their voices heard against Sony's decision to discontinue producing physical discs.

Sony announced on July 1 it will not produce physical discs for any new release from January 2028 onwards. Physical discs will still continue to be produced after that date but only for games that have released before then.

The decision has been met with an overwhelming backlash across social media, with people saying they are planning to not purchase any future PlayStation products unless the decision is reversed.

A petition calling for Sony to reverse its decision now has more than 345,000 signatures at the time of writing.

Now a protest is being planned by gamers to completely boycott PlayStation for a whole week in August and it's gaining traction on X / Twitter with a number of people, including streamers, already confirming their support for it.

X/witter account @DoesItPlay1, a community which promotes physical games and customer rights, shared a message which said: "For several years now, Sony Interactive Entertainment has continued to grow further apart from its fan base.

"Whether it's closing beloved studios like Bluepoint, pursuing a misguided live-service strategy, cancelling fan events, leaving PS VR2 to die or being completely out of touch with the franchises players want to see return, PlayStation has never felt more disconnected from its community.

"Ending physical discs in 2028 feels like the last straw.

"With that, we are calling on PlayStation players to participate in an economic and gameplay blackout from Sunday 23 August at 7pm local time through Sunday 30 August at 7pm local time.

"Players can participate by turning off their consoles or logging out for seven days. We feel that this period gives publishers and developers minimal impact while still giving players a voice."

The post has been shared heavily across social media, with a number of prominent streamers backing it, saying they will not be broadcasting gameplay of anything PlayStation related during that time.

Indy100 has contacted Sony and PlayStation for comment.

Elsewhere from Indy100:

• Sony discontinues physical PlayStation game discs from 2028 and the internet has erupted
• Hideo Kojima slyly 'takes aim' at Sony stopping physical PlayStation discs

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