Whether you believe it's a decision made at the consumer level, or one forced upon us by the higher ups, it seems that in the near future, discs will be a thing of gaming's past. As Sony looks to end disc production in 2028, other major gaming companies are sharing just how skewed the digital vs physical debate is for them, including Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar's parent company.
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick hopped on an earnings call to answer why Grand Theft Auto VI wasn't coming to disc (thanks, Polygon). According to Zelnick, we now live in an age where discs "don't really make sense for the consumer."
"Our business is well over 90% digitally distributed. It's already a digital business...If you're already connected, who cares if you download digitally? It's all the same, and it's much more convenient," he said.
Zelnick continued by adding that Take-Two will provide physical versions of its games now and then, but they'll be more like vinyls for music than they will be an expected part of each major release.
The backlash against the removal of physical discs has been fairly loud online, but unfortunately it doesn't seem like it'll be making waves across gaming. Too many people are already too comfortable with digital purchases for Sony, Take-Two, or any major gaming company to feel much heat if they move to a digital-only future, with Nintendo being the only probable exception.
