A fan-organized PlayStation Blackout boycott protesting Sony's end of disc production had minimal impact on US PS5 engagement, according to market research firm Circana, which found no significant change in player activity. Sony acknowledged the backlash and stated it would cautiously proceed with its all-digital strategy while exploring how to engage gamers in a digital ecosystem.
Circana's Mat Piscatella reported that the PS Blackout protest movement, organized by gaming preservation groups in late August 2026 to oppose Sony's reduced physical game disc production, produced no measurable impact on player engagement or user counts in the United States according to their Player Engagement Tracker data.