Disgruntled players tried to boycott Sony in August after the company announced it would discontinue physical media. However, it seems that the PlayStation Digital Blackout protest was a bust. Sony released official data for its second fiscal quarter, making it clear the boycott didn't move the needle. Instead, the company continued to grow, proving its point that losing physical media will not affect Sony as a business.

With Sony ceasing disc production in January 2028 and allegedly trying to establish a digital game monopoly, PlayStation owners who were unhappy with its recent business practices organized a boycott. From Aug. 23 until Aug. 30, participants pledged not to make in-game purchases, buy digital games, or renew PlayStation Plus subscriptions. However, the protest gained less traction than expected. Circana's video game industry advisor, Mat Piscatella, initially noted that there hadn't been any significant change in player count or engagement during the blackout.

The financial records have confirmed the protest's insignificance to Sony's business. Not only did sales and engagement not go down, but they actually went up, with Insomniac Games' Marvel's Wolverine leading the charge with 2.4 million units sold. Compared to the previous quarter, monthly active users increased by 2 million and digital sales rose by ¥138.8 billion — ¥158.7 billion if you count add-ons, which is about $996.2 million, using FYQ2's average conversion rate.

With the launch of Grand Theft Auto 6 on Nov. 19, numbers are only expected to keep rising this fiscal quarter. With the launch date fast approaching, many players will make sure they secure their pre-orders in order to be able to preload GTA 6 ahead of release .

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