Sony’s decision to stop making physical discs for its PlayStation games starting in 2028 has opened the floodgates for brands eager to score points online.
Within hours of the announcement, companies ranging from creators of privacy software to fried chicken chains piled on, using the PlayStation’s all-digital future as fodder for jokes.
Sony said the shift reflects the fact that the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces that for physical discs, Business Insider reported Thursday.
The posts tapped into a broader backlash from fans who have expressed worry about ownership, media preservation, and what happens when everything lives behind a download.
Those anxieties have been building for months as the gaming industry steadily shifts away from physical media. Grand Theft Auto VI — one of the most anticipated games of the decade — is being sold in stores with a download code rather than a game disc. The decision, announced by creator Rockstar Games last month, sparked a similar debate.
Gaming accessory maker GameSir quipped on X following Sony’s announcement that it would stop making physical controllers and shift to downloadable ones, allowing gamers to control their devices “via quantum entanglement and pure imagination.”
“True pro-gamers don’t need a controller in their hands; they need the controller in their souls,” GameSir’s post read, calling the decision a pivot toward a “beautifully empty-handed future.”
KFC España also took a swipe at Sony, saying it would begin offering its fried chicken only via downloadable PNG format, while Domino’s UK compared Sony’s all-digital move to replacing its pizzas with a download code so diners could enjoy them in “an entirely virtual sense.”
Privacy-focused Proton joked that it would begin offering physical versions of its digital services in light of Sony’s decision.
“Proton Mail becomes encrypted letters hand-delivered by our team, Pass becomes someone who follows you around and remembers your passwords for you, VPN flies you to one of 90+ locations so you can browse like a local, Drive ships every user a folder (additional folders available upon request), and Lumo AI sends a smart employee to your location to answer questions, help with work, and draw things.”
In the meantime, pizzas, passwords, and fried chicken remain stubbornly physical — for now.
