A group of PlayStation physical disc fans is about to learn how much noise they can produce. The so-called PS5 Blackout is scheduled to run from August 23 to August 30, with supporters being asked to switch off their consoles for the entire week.
The protest comes from growing frustration over Sony’s reported plans to eventually move away from manufacturing physical game discs.
The idea behind the PS5 blackout isn’t simply to stop buying games for a few days. Protesters want to reduce PlayStation’s daily active user numbers, while also removing their spending from the PlayStation ecosystem during the week.
In other words, the message is essentially: if physical games are disappearing, we’ll show Sony what happens when some of its customers disappear too.
The PS5 Blackout Timing Couldn’t Be More Interesting
There is one major problem for anyone planning to participate: there’s quite a lot happening on PlayStation that week.
The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 open beta begins on August 28, right in the middle of the blackout. Sony scheduled several other games around the same period, including Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2. 2, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy and Star Wars Zero Company.
Dedicated PlayStation players may struggle to power down the PS5 during new game launches.
Personally, I won’t be participating but I’ll be eager to see the outcome.
