Sony Reports Growth in Playtime and Active Users Despite ‘No Disc’ Boycott

The ongoing fan-led backlash against Sony’s decision to phase out physical PlayStation game production by 2028 does not appear to be denting the company’s platform engagement. Despite loud “no disc, no buy” protests and an organized PlayStation Blackout movement circulating on social media since August, recent financial data confirms that player engagement is actually on the rise.

According to a report by GamesRadar+, Sony’s latest earnings results show a clear upward trend in player activity for the quarter ending September 30. CFO Lin Tao stated that monthly active users (MAUs) reached 127 million in September, a 7% increase compared to the same period last year and a new record high for that month. Additionally, total playtime across the platform saw a 4% year-on-year increase.

The disconnect between protest and data

Sony management views these figures as evidence of a positive long-term trajectory. CFO Lin Tao noted that the year-on-year improvement in both active users and playtime demonstrates that the “baseline of engagement is steadily improving.”

This data mirrors earlier observations from Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, who previously reported that there was no significant shift in player count or engagement in the US market as a result of the boycott. Sony maintains that it does not expect the shift toward digital-only distribution to have a negative impact on the business. Meanwhile, the company confirmed that development of the next-generation console, the PS6, is “progressing as scheduled” despite ongoing challenges related to memory procurement and global RAM shortages.

Why it matters

For players, this news confirms that community-organized boycotts regarding corporate policy changes—even those as polarizing as the removal of physical media support—are currently not translating into measurable platform abandonment. If you are part of the player base hoping that public pressure will force a reversal of the 2028 physical media deadline, the current data suggests Sony is seeing the opposite effect on its bottom line.

While the industry continues to move toward digital storefronts, those who prefer physical collections remain in a period of uncertainty. As Sony looks toward the next hardware generation, players should continue to monitor future announcements regarding how digital ownership and legacy game preservation will be handled once the shift to a disc-less ecosystem becomes official.