Sony's Player Boycott Flops: Monthly Users and Sales Both Rise

Sony's Q2 earnings show monthly active users up 2 million and digital sales hitting 138.8 billion yen, proving August's player boycott had little to no impact.

Remember that PlayStation boycott back in August? Yeah, turns out it didn't really move the needle. Sony's latest financial report shows monthly active users actually went up by 2 million quarter-over-quarter, and digital sales reached 138.8 billion yen—or about 158.7 billion yen when you factor in add-on content, which converts to roughly $996.2 million at the quarter's average exchange rate. So much for voting with your wallet, huh?

The boycott kicked off after Sony announced it would stop producing physical discs by January 2028. A chunk of PlayStation fans weren't happy with that and other recent business moves, so they organized a week-long protest—pledging no in-game purchases, no digital game buys, and no PlayStation Plus renewals. The goal was to hit Sony where it hurts. Spoiler alert: it didn't.

According to Polygon, the numbers tell a pretty clear story: Sony's business decisions didn't budge one bit because of the short-term protest. Circana video game industry advisor Mat Piscatella noted that player numbers and engagement didn't show any noticeable dip during the boycott window. Basically, the vast majority of players just kept on playing—and paying.

On the software side, Insomniac Games' Marvel's Wolverine has reportedly sold 2.4 million copies. And with Grand Theft Auto 6 launching on November 19, digital sales for this fiscal quarter could climb even higher. Since the physical edition of GTA 6 won't include a disc, most players will likely just grab it directly from the PS Store. Cha-ching.

So what's the takeaway here? Boycotts are loud on social media, but they don't always translate to real-world impact. Sony's engagement and revenue are trending upward, and the platform holder seems perfectly comfortable sticking to its roadmap. Whether that's good or bad depends on where you stand—but the data doesn't lie.

Did you join the boycott back in August, or did you keep right on gaming? Let us know in the comments—we're genuinely curious how many of you actually sat this one out.