The video game industry moving away from physical game releases has become a hot topic in recent months, both due to PlayStation’s actions and Grand Theft Auto 6. Despite GTA 6 fans being frustrated that physical copies contain nothing but a digital download code, though, Take-Two is sticking by the decision.
While believers in the importance of game preservation, those that have built large physical collections, and players who distrust digital licenses have been outraged by a discless future’s approach, companies stand by the shift. For instance, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick recently spoke about the publisher’s GTA 6 decision in a Q&A covered by IGN. To put it bluntly, it simply makes little business sense for the company to put out discs, as Take-Two’s business is “90% digitally distributed.” However, he goes further, stating that “discs don’t really make sense for the consumer” either. According to Zelnick, because players already have to connect online to register for so many modern games, digital copies are “the same” concept and more convenient.
Zelnick does stress that Take-Two developers like Rockstar could occasionally do proper physical releases here and there, but stresses that the approach “just won’t make sense” for huge launches like GTA 6. He compares disc releases for games in 2026 to music aficionados collecting vinyls.
- Released
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November 19, 2026
- ESRB
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Rating Pending – Likely Mature 17+
