Rockstar CEO defends GTA 6 disc-less release, calls it 'more practical'
Translated from Croatian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
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- Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two, defends its decision to release Grand Theft Auto 6 without a physical disc, citing the dominance of digital sales.
- CEO Strauss Zelnick argues that physical media is impractical for most consumers in the digital age, as online registration is often required anyway.
- The move has angered collectors and digital rights advocates, who fear losing the sense of ownership and the ability to resell or share physical copies.
Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two Interactive, the company behind Rockstar Games, has defended the decision to release the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 without a physical disc. He asserts that players no longer care about discs in the digital era, despite significant backlash from the gaming community. Zelnick stated that over 90 percent of the company's business is already digital, making physical media increasingly impractical.
Our business is already over 90 percent digitally distributed. It's already a digital business.
"In most cases, you have to register online to play anyway. So, if you're already connected, who cares if you download the game digitally? It's all the same, and it's much more practical," Zelnick argued in a conversation with analysts. This justification comes after confirmation in June that the "physical" version of GTA 6 will only contain a download code, sparking outrage among collectors and proponents of physical media.
The debate intensified following Sony's July announcement that it would cease producing physical PlayStation discs by January 2028. While Zelnick did not directly address Sony's decision, he suggested it aligns with his view of the future. He compared occasional physical releases to vinyl records in the music industry, predicting they will become collector's items rather than the standard.
In certain cases, especially if it's a big game, discs simply don't make sense for the consumer. In most cases, you have to register online to play anyway. So, if you're already connected, who cares if you download the game digitally? It's all the same, and it's much more practical.
However, gamers have voiced strong opposition on social media. The core of the conflict lies in the perceived difference between owning a physical product and a digital license. Physical copies offer a sense of permanent ownership, allowing players to lend, sell, or collect games. Digital purchases, conversely, are often seen as long-term rentals dependent on server availability and publisher policies. This shift also raises concerns about game preservation, with preservation foundations warning that titles could become permanently inaccessible in a fully digital future if servers are shut down or platforms become obsolete.
The world is moving in that direction, in our opinion, and I think Sony understands that. We certainly understand it. It doesn't mean we won't have physical releases occasionally, I'm sure we will, just as there are still records in the music business. But in other cases, it simply won't make sense.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Veฤernji List in Croatian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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