Sony Bans McDonald’s Marked PS5 Controllers

The PS5 is currently more popular than almost any other technical device, making it ideal for attracting attention. Cooperations are also possible, but you have to ask Sony. And McDonald’s didn’t do that.

McDonald’s is celebrating its 50th birthday in Australia these days and the PR department of the fast-food chain had an idea that sounded good at first: They had a DualSense controller designed with a matching look and wanted a limited number of these special PlayStation 5 control units Give away or raffle loyal customers.

On the controllers, next to the logo and the typical colors, red, yellow, and white, there was a typical McDonald’s bag of fries on the left, and a stylized burger on the right. For PlayStation 5 owners who are also fans of the fast-food restaurant, this would certainly have been a good opportunity to get a very special second controller.

Campaign Not Approved

But the bill was made without the landlord, as Kotaku reports: Because those responsible for the campaign at McDonald’s Australia have apparently forgotten to ask Sony for permission. This is of course more than strange for a company of this size and importance because one might think that clarifying with the legal department is the first thing you do in such a case. Instead, the competition was announced immediately and streamers were hired to promote the campaign.

Sony heard about it, however, and stopped the whole thing. In a statement, McDonald’s Australia wrote: “Sony PlayStation has not approved the use of its controller in promotional materials in connection with the scheduled Stream Week event and we apologize for any inconvenience.”