PS5 custom faceplate company rebrands for a third time after Sony threatens legal action

(Image credit: Future)

A PS5 custom faceplate manufacturer has rebranded for a third time in the face of threatened legal action from Sony, reports VGC.

CMP Shells launched Monday, January 18 with black custom shells for the PS5 standard edition console at $49.99. A CMP Blackout bundle will also mattify your DualSense PS5 controller for $69.99. The company claims the shells will begin shipping next month and will arrive around the end of February.

If you're not familiar, CMP Shells is the third name of a company originally called PlateStation5, which Sony forced to cancel orders and cease production back in November of last year. The company then rebranded to CustomizeMyPlates, but were still forced to cease production and cancel orders, telling VGC that "Sony told us it was their opinion, Sony's intellectual property extended to the faceplates, and that if we continued to sell and distribute them in any country, we would end up in court."

Now, however, CMP Shells thinks it has an ironclad business plan that won't fall to Sony's legal threats. Suggesting it's now wiser to the legality of creating custom faceplates, CMP claims there is a patent pending for the black console shells. "The patent is pending and all sales finalized before it's approved are untouchable. We didn't know before. Now we do", reads the listing. "Further we have not replicated anyone's proprietary design. Our shells improve upon the original by allowing for more ventilation.

Last December, another unofficial PS5 faceplate company surfaced, and it seems its fate was similar to the first two iterations of CMP Shells. At the time, Game Armor was confident Sony wouldn't send a cease and desist, but at the time of publication the Game Armor Shopify link is broken, providing an error message that reads "this shop is unavailable". We'll just have to wait and see if CMP Shells can avoid a third shutdown from Sony.

Forget the shells, here's where to buy a PS5 right now.

Alyssa Mercante used to be a features writer at GamesRadar and is now a freelance writer and editor. Prior to entering the industry, she got her Masters's degree in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Newcastle University with a dissertation focusing on contemporary indie games. She spends most of her time playing competitive shooters and in-depth RPGs and was recently on a PAX Panel about the best bars in video games. In her spare time Alyssa rescues cats, practices her Italian, and plays soccer.