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Thousands of players want to stop the disappearance of physical games, but one thing is becoming increasingly clear: digital releases now dominate the market. Proof of that comes from a pair of recent PS5 launches that were distributed exclusively in digital format and managed to sell millions of copies in just a few days, all while protests against the end of physical media continue to grow.
Over the past few weeks, PlayStation has been at the center of controversy following its decision to stop producing physical games starting in January 2028. Players, developers, retailers, and even government officials have criticized the move, arguing that it threatens consumer ownership rights and represents a dramatic shift for the video game industry.
Despite the backlash, digital game sales continue to rise, suggesting that the end of physical media may be inevitable. A perfect example is the massive success of Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Black Ops II on the PlayStation Store.
Call of Duty: Black Ops ports sell millions of digital copies on PS5 despite boycott efforts
Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Black Ops II made a surprise return on July 9 and instantly became major hits on PS5 and PS4. The Activision shooters launched exclusively in digital format, right in the middle of the ongoing protests against the future disappearance of physical games, yet that did little to slow their momentum.
The ports proved so popular that they even outperformed Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, with many players seemingly putting the boycott against PlayStation and Sony aside. Despite technical issues and the presence of cheaters, both classics quickly climbed the PlayStation Store’s best-selling charts.
Thanks to a new PS5 feature, players can now see how many people have played certain games over the past week, offering a rough estimate of sales within the PlayStation ecosystem.
The numbers speak for themselves. Call of Duty: Black Ops II recorded 5.25 million weekly players, while the original Black Ops reached 1.96 million players over the last seven days. More importantly, these figures represent United States players only.
Although Activision has yet to reveal official sales numbers, it’s clear that both titles have exceeded expectations. They quickly entered the top 10 best-selling games across multiple regions and also performed extremely well on Xbox platforms.
Protests against the end of physical games continue
PlayStation’s decision appears unlikely to change, but many players continue pushing back in hopes that the company will reconsider. However, the success of Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops II serves as a significant blow to the boycott movement, suggesting that digital distribution has become the preferred purchasing method for many consumers.
Even so, opposition to the disappearance of physical media remains strong. More than 300,000 players have signed a petition calling for the preservation of physical game releases. Meanwhile, lawmakers in Mexico and Spain have also voiced concerns in defense of consumer rights.
Retailers have joined the criticism as well, arguing that eliminating physical games poses a serious threat to their businesses. In recent days, the gaming community has flooded PlayStation’s social media posts with negative comments. The backlash became so intense that Sony eventually disabled comments on its official channels.
