Sony's recent announcement that new PlayStation games will cease to be released on disc starting in 2028 has triggered a wave of negative reactions from across the internet, drawing criticism from unexpected corners including fast food brands and public personalities.
The decision, which signals a significant shift away from physical media for the PlayStation brand, has been met with widespread commentary. Beyond the expected disapproval from game developers and players, major news outlets have reported on the move, and brands have used social media to parody the announcement.
KFC Spain humorously declared it would stop offering physical products, stating that items would only be available digitally via their app in a "fake PNG format," with future "DLC with the sauces." The chain also joked about a "FriedChicken Pass" subscription service and threatened action against "pirates" sharing PNGs from Pinterest.
Domino's Pizza UK retweeted PlayStation's announcement with a comment that the decision "makes about as much sense as us changing to digital pizzas." The company lamented the potential loss of physical game collections, echoing sentiments of losing physical media formats like Blockbuster.
Former television host Trevor Noah elaborated on the criticisms, highlighting the importance of physical discs for game sharing and affordability through the used market. He also drew parallels to Sony's recent decision to remove purchased digital films from some users' accounts due to rights issues, warning that purely digital game libraries could be similarly vulnerable to being lost.
This concern about the permanence of digital ownership was echoed by David Goldfarb, former director at Battlefield, and the game preservation account Does it Play?, which noted that the loss of physical media hinders game discoverability and word-of-mouth sales.
Console manufacturer Blaze Entertainment, known for its cartridge-based Evercade systems, released a parody of Sony's old "how to share games on PS4" video, referencing a bygone era of physical media sharing.
The move away from discs aligns with broader industry trends. Microsoft's next-generation Xbox, codenamed Project Helix, is also rumored to be launching without a disc drive, with the company reportedly exploring a disc-to-digital feature to provide digital licenses for physical copies. This comes as Sony simultaneously announced the closure of its PlayStation Store for the PS3 and PlayStation Vita, further emphasizing a shift towards digital distribution and digital-only console futures, with analysts predicting the PS6 will launch no earlier than 2028 as a digital-only device.