KFC, Domino's Hijack PlayStation's Disc Exit With Memes

Sony just gave brands an in for a viral moment. 

Within hours of PlayStationannouncing it would stop producing physical game discs starting in January 2028, fast-food brands jumped into the conversation with jokes of their own.

KFC Spain posted that it would move to a "digital" format too, joking about releasing sauces as downloadable content and eventually launching a subscription plan.

"Products can only be consumed through our app in fake PNG format," the account wrote.

The chicken joint doubled down on the joke, announcing that it will also be releasing a DLC, a pre-order for the "Los Glaseados," and a Fried Chicken Pass in the upcoming months. 

Meanwhile, Domino's UK followed with its own jab, saying the shift "makes about as much sense as us changing to digital pizzas."

The exchanges racked up hundreds of thousands of views combined.

The two brands managed to make a meme cycle out of the corporate announcement, even when they had virtually no connection to gaming.

Discs Disappear by 2028

Sony's actual announcement was more measured than the jokes suggested.

Starting in January 2028, new PlayStation titles will only be sold digitally through the PlayStation Store or at retailers as download codes.

This ends decades of disc-based releases.

Sid Shuman, a senior director at Sony Interactive Entertainment, sees the change as a response to shifting habits and not a cost-cutting move that most would assume.

"This is a natural direction for Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs," Shuman wrote.

"This transition will enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today."

The backlash centered more on ownership.

Critics, including commentator Trevor Noah, pointed out that digital libraries can vanish without warning.

This references Sony's recent removal of hundreds of films from PlayStation Store accounts over licensing issues.

Fans also flagged the loss of second-hand sales, game swapping and lending, practices that disappear once everything lives behind an account login.

Xbox is testing similar territory.

With reports of a disc-to-digital feature in early development, suggesting the entire console industry is inching toward the same endpoint even as players resist it.

How Outrage Travels Faster Than Announcements

Real-time hijacking has become a common move for social teams looking to insert themselves into whatever topic is trending.

Not so long ago, the McDonald's CEO introduced the Big Arch burger with his own taste test. 

However, his video drew backlash from many claiming he barely had a bite of the product.

Just like PlayStation, McDonald's attracted brands that would then jump on the trend and create their own parody versions of the taste test. 

What made both moments valuable for outside brands wasn't the news itself, but how emotionally charged people were towards them.

It wasn't just a format change gamers were adjusting to.

They felt like something was being taken from them, and that frustration created an opening for brands to show up with memes.

Several lessons here for marketers:

Watch out for consumer frustration, not just trending topics.

KFC and Domino's mirrored the specific anger fans felt about losing ownership and made light of the situation, as absurd as they sounded.

Speed matters more than polish when you're creating reactive content.

Both posts went up within the same news cycle, while competitors who waited a day or two missed the peak of the conversation entirely.

Don't overexplain.

Trust in the audience's ability to put one and one together. In the case of KFC and Domino's, they let the audience's existing knowledge of the backlash do the work, keeping the joke short and immediate.

Consumer trust in ownership is becoming a bigger flashpoint than product quality.

This is why brands that can tap into that anxiety without being preachy are finding an easy way into cultural conversations they had no original stake in.

Our Take: Can Ownership Become a Punchline?

Gamers are losing something real with the news, like the ability to hand a disc to a friend, sell it when they're broke, or just own a physical thing they paid for.

But this presents brands the opportunity to turn that grief into a punchline within hours.

You'd think the joke would be in bad taste, but it worked because KFC and Domino's understood the assignment.

They didn't defend Sony, didn't explain Sony, and trusted that the seemingly formal statement post was enough for the internet to know exactly who they were dunking on. 

That's the real skill here, not creativity, but reflexes.

Brands pursuing ambitious creative need partners who are all in on their ideas. Take a look at the top creative agencies in our directory.