Even KFC Is Roasting Sony as Backlash Mounts Over PlayStation's Shocking Decision to End Physical Game Discs

Yesterday's bombshell announcement from Sony—that it will stop releasing new PlayStation games on disc from 2028 onward—has sparked predictable backlash online, drawing criticism from celebrities and major brands outside the gaming world.

While it was expected that developers and fans would react strongly to what many see as an abrupt end to disc support on consoles, the news that PS5 would ditch physical media spread far and wide, covered by major news outlets and parodied by brands on social media.

"BREAKING NEWS: KFC will stop offering its physical format starting today," wrote the official X/Twitter account for KFC in Spain, which has over 1 million followers. "Products can only be consumed through our app in fake PNG format. Within one month we'll release a DLC with the sauces."

"Within a year we'll release the FriedChicken Pass," KFC continued. "You'll get our entire catalog for a modest monthly price. If you pirate the PNGs on Pinterest we'll come to your house."

Sticking with fast food brands, Domino's Pizza UK retweeted PlayStation's announcement and commented that it "makes about as much sense as us changing to digital pizzas." It continued: "They took Blockbuster from us. Now the gaming aisle."

Meanwhile, former late-night talk show host Trevor Noah criticized Sony's decision in detail on X/Twitter, arguing that sharing physical discs was the only way some gamers could afford to play, as second-hand copies become cheaper over time. "You can also give games to your younger siblings," Noah added, "which is a great way to introduce them to the games you were playing."

Noah also pointed to Sony's announcement earlier this week that a swathe of films bought digitally via the PlayStation Store would be removed from customers' accounts due to rights issues.

"As we saw from PlayStation this past week, if the media we buy is only digital, it can be taken away from us at a moment's notice with no recourse," Noah concluded. "Imagine that, one day your entire library of games could be deleted overnight because technically you don't own it."

The post was warmly received, with former Battlefield director David Goldfarb noting his approval, and the video game preservation and accessibility account Does it Play? stating that this was an "underrepresented aspect" that would also harm game sales by removing a method that provided word of mouth and discoverability.

Within the games industry, retro and indie console manufacturer Blaze Entertainment—maker of the cartridge-based Evercade consoles—published its own parody of Sony's infamous "this is how you share your games on PS4" video, which many have cited in the past 24 hours as coming from a bygone era.

While many see digital downloads as the sole, inevitable method of game ownership in the future, Sony undermined this notion yesterday by announcing it was shutting down the PlayStation Store on the aging PS3 and PlayStation Vita. At the same time, analysts have pointed to the end of physical media on PS5 as a clear signal that PS6 will be a digital-only console, not due for launch until at least 2028.

It's not just Sony doing away with discs, either. Microsoft's next-gen Xbox, codenamed Project Helix, will reportedly release without a disc drive. In tandem, Microsoft is said to be exploring a new disc-to-digital feature that would let users insert a disc into their console and gain a digital license for the game, allowing them to play without the disc.