With the upcoming physical release of Grand Theft Auto 6 lacking a disc, as well as Sony’s announcement about the end of PlayStation discs in 2028, there has been quite a bit of discussion about the future of games and physical media. In an interview with IGN, former co-founder of Rockstar Games, Dan Houser, has offered his own thoughts on the matter.
While he acknowledged that he may not be personally as invested in the concept of physical game releases as others, he noted that companies should continue to release games through physical media if fans want it. “I don’t know that I care, but if people want that, I think companies should provide it,” he said. “But I don’t know that I personally care.”
His personal preference for digital games largely comes down to the fact that it is more convenient when it comes to things like releasing updates and fixing bugs. “I also think that, as critical as people are of digital releases, the ability to update and fix problems in games has been really useful for the quality of games.”
Former Rockstar Games writer Jeffery “Lazlow” Jones also weighed in on the matter by discussing how buying a physical copy of a game can often add to the experience. However, he also has difficulty denying the utility and convenience of digital releases.
“We all have that sort of feeling when you get that copy, and you put the disc in the console, but I also have to say I really like being at the airport and going, ‘Oh, cool. I can download some quick games to my Steam Deck for this 12-hour flight.’”
“That’s what’s been interesting. We’ve worked in digital together for a lot of years, and then making a physical product of a comic book is a different creative process but also just really fulfilling to have a physical thing you can say, ‘Look. We made a thing.’”
Houser went on to reaffirm: “I love physical media.”
In the meantime, Grand Theft Auto 6 is slowly inching towards its November 19th release on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. The title is expected to shatter sales records by just about everyone, with a recent rumor indicating that it is on track to make $4.5 billion during its first week alone.
According to analytics firm Newzoo, digital sales in the US and the “top five European markets” are estimated to have already earned around $180 million for Rockstar Games and parent company Take-Two Interactive. Adding “uncounted regions” to the equation seemingly pushes the total up to $260 million. It is worth noting that no official sales data for the game’s pre-orders have been revealed so far.
As for physical media, Sony’s announcement has drawn quite a bit of criticism from gamers and retailers alike. However, many from the industry don’t think that it is ultimately going to be too big of a deal. Among these is Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, who believes that going all-in on digital will help spur growth.
