What started as a week-long protest has now become a permanent state: The preservation community behind the “Does It Play” initiative has extended its boycott against Sony indefinitely. The root of the anger is Sony's announced shift away from physical PS5 discs starting in 2028 – a move that many collectors and game preservers see as a direct attack on their hobby.
Specifically, this means participants are demonstratively keeping their PS5s switched off to send a message. What's particularly noteworthy is the symbolic choice: According to the organizers, two of the biggest upcoming PS5 titles, GTA 6 and Marvel’s Wolverine, are explicitly targeted by the boycott – precisely the games Sony expects to sell a particularly large number of new consoles with.
How Is Sony Reacting to the PS5 Boycott?
Despite the loud protests, Sony has so far remained unimpressed. In an investor briefing, the company stated that the boycott has shown no measurable impact on business to date. This aligns with a pattern well-known in the gaming industry: while online boycott movements generate significant attention on social networks and Reddit, they rarely translate into actual sales figures, as long as the affected games themselves are well-received.
What's Behind the Dispute Over Physical PS5 Games?
The core of the conflict isn't new: For years, console manufacturers have been increasingly shifting their business towards digital downloads, which poses a real problem from the perspective of collectors and archivists. Without a physical data carrier, games can disappear completely in the worst-case scenario as soon as a server is shut down or a store listing is removed – a concern further fueled by our report on the official release window for The Witcher 4 in 2028, as it's also unclear whether a disc version will even be available for that. For us as an editorial team, it's remarkable how persistent this relatively small, but very vocal community remains – even if a noticeable economic effect has yet to materialize.
Source: Push Square, TheGamer
Do you think the PS5 boycott is justified, or is the community overreacting significantly? Discuss with us in the comments!
Comments (0)
No comments yet — be the first to share your take.