PlayStation issues update on digital future as week-long console blackout gets underway

PlayStation has released a new statement reminding users that they don’t own their digital games as a week-long platform boycott gets underway.

The week-long blackout was organised last month as a protest against Sony’s backing of an all-digital future on PlayStation consoles, following the announcement that physical game discs would be discontinued from January 2028.

Now, with the boycott in full swing, players have received a statement from Sony reminding them that they don’t actually own their digital games.

“You recently accepted the following PlayStation terms (the “Terms”): PlayStation Terms of Service, PlayStation Code of Conduct, PlayStation End User License Agreement, PlayStation Privacy Policy,” reads the statement in an email from Sony which was posted to Reddit (via Kotaku).

The email continues: “For your convenience and future reference, we have included full copies of the Terms in this email. Please retain this email for your records. The Terms set out important information about your rights and obligations when using PlayStation.”

The email then included all of the sections mentioned previously, including a bit regarding ownership of digital titles and licences.

“The Software is licensed to you, not sold,” the email adds. “You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, and personal license to play or use the Software for your private, non-commercial use on the system or device it was intended for.

“This license is only effective from the indicated Software release date, early access date, or beta release date. Any rights in the Software that we do not say are granted to you in this license are reserved, including all intellectual property in the Software.”

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This new update from Sony may possibly be related to the week-long blackout of PlayStation platforms taking place this week

It seems that users received this email even if they hadn’t touched their PlayStation console in months, leading to some speculation that it could be related to the week-long PlayStation blackout that began on August 23.

“We are calling on PlayStation players to participate in an economic and gameplay blackout from Sunday, August 23, at 7:00 PM local time through Sunday, August 30, at 7:00 PM local time. Players can participate by turning off their consoles or logging out for seven days,” read a statement from X account Does It Play, one of the key organisers of the boycott.

“We feel that this period gives publishers and developers minimal impact while still giving players a voice.”

Whether or not the boycott will have any effect remains to be seen. Boycotts are typically organised without a planned end date, usually only ending once the company has met the demands of the boycott’s organisers, so having one that only ends after a week may not have the desired effect.

This has been the case with the BDS movement, which asks users to boycott Xbox products to “pressure Microsoft to end its complicity in Israel’s genocide, occupation and apartheid against Palestinians”. The boycott has been ongoing since 2025.