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

Sony just handed brands an easy way to go viral.

PlayStation announced it would stop producing physical game discs in 2028.

And within hours, fast-food brands jumped into the conversation with jokes of their own.

KFC Spain posted that it would move to a digital format, too.

The chicken chain wittily joked 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.

KFC also announced on X that it will 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 virtually have no connection to gaming.

Physical Discs Will Be Phased Out

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, said the change is a response to shifting habits and not a cost-cutting move.

"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 comedian and host 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 player practices like second-hand sales, game swapping, and lending.

Each of these practices was really an act of ownership, the freedom to resell, share, or keep a game like anything else you paid for.

Xbox may not be far behind, with reports of a disc-to-digital feature in early development.

The entire console industry seems to be inching toward the same endpoint, even as players continue to push back.

Outrage Beats Trending Topics

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

Not so long ago, 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 jumped on the trend and created their own parody versions of the taste test. 

The PlayStation news drew outside brands because gamers felt robbed, and this frustration opened the door for memes.

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 this anxiety without being preachy are finding an easy way into conversations they had no original stake in.

Our Take: Can Ownership Become a Punchline?

Gamers are losing something real, 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.

And this presents brands the opportunity to turn this 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.

Both brands simply posted the joke and trusted the internet to already know who they were mocking.

The real skill was reflexes, moving inside the same news cycle while the frustration was still fresh.

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