Former PlayStation executives Shuhei Yoshida and Adam Boyes have recreated their famous "this is how you share your games on PS4" meme, this time with a notable absence of physical media. The duo, instrumental in the PlayStation brand during the PS4's launch era, shared a new image mimicking their iconic pose, but without a game disc in sight.
The original video, released in 2013, served as a direct response to Microsoft's controversial game-sharing policies for the Xbox One. In it, then-President of First-Party Studios Shuhei Yoshida and Head of Third-Party Relations Adam Boyes demonstrated the PS4's user-friendly approach to sharing games. Yoshida handed Boyes a physical copy of Killzone: Shadow Fall, declared that was all there was to it, and the simple message went viral, amassing over 21 million views.
Now, the two former Sony stalwarts have reunited, with Yoshida posting the updated image to social media. "Met with a best friend," he wrote, accompanying a picture of himself and Boyes striking the familiar pose. The choice to exclude a physical game has been widely interpreted by fans as a pointed, if lighthearted, commentary on Sony's ongoing shift towards a digital-only future for its games.
This recreation comes at a significant time, as Sony prepares to cease manufacturing discs for new PlayStation games in 2028. The company has already begun repurposing its disc-making factory, a move that has drawn criticism from players who value physical ownership. The shift to an all-digital model is expected to have a substantial impact on traditional game retailers and the broader physical media market.
Fans have seized upon the image, with some speculating that the meme's revival is a subtle jab at Sony's disc-less strategy. One social media post humorously suggested, "This is how you share games with your friends in 2028."