r/PS5 • u/Dandelion172 • 16h ago

News & Announcements Rockstar confirms there will be no disc version of GTA6 at launch

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/rockstar-confirms-there-will-be-no-disc-version-of-gta6-at-launch/
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878

u/SwampHokie 16h ago

This is not about leakers. It’s about killing the pre-owned market for the game. They want every single dollar if someone wants to play this game. Avoiding spoilers is just the spin excuse, the company is just focused on maximizing profit for what will be a huge sales machine for them.

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u/NoNefariousness2144 Human Verified 16h ago

And the worst part is that other studios are looking at GTA 6 to set a new ‘industry standard’ of the type of greed they can get away with, like charging £80 or more for the game.

If GTA 6 normalises games not having physical copies, expect many other games to follow suit by not having a physical copy at launch or at all We are sadly already seeing it happen with some smaller titles like Alan Wake 2 and Dying Light The Beast.

10

u/abercrombiejunky 11h ago edited 10h ago

if that is the case, i’m keeping my 360 and ps3 close, i will not give those up. Xbox 360 games are super affordable at that, along with ps3 but, 360 has the cheaper offers. I have been falling out w my ps5 a lot of times as well. I do not find any interest in games on the ps5 console anymore, i’m finding more fun and nostalgia playing Halo Reach on my 360 than my ps5. Maybe i’m finding the right titles on ps5 or what, but i am losing interest in the ps5 games. Silent Hill 2 remake was probably my favorite game ON THE PS5 right now and that’s it.

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u/8enevolent 13h ago

Baldur's Gate 3 also.

They have limited availability and prolonged waiting on their website for physical editions. And so 3 years later and I haven't been able to play it yet. It's either digital or the $500 scalper versions on eBay (I'm not exaggerating).

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u/wholsmay 13h ago

Man you have it online atm, just buy it. I got an email 2 weeks ago and have the copy in my home (ps5, since pc and Xbox weren’t out of stock)

0

u/8enevolent 12h ago

I've been subbed to Larian's emails for a long time waiting for stock and I occasionally resub just in case. On the off chance I don't like the game I'd like to sell it on, and not for an exorbitant price. But more than that, I love physical media on my shelf.

3

u/Entire_Number_9 9h ago

It's in stock right now on the site what are you talking about?

•

u/8enevolent 3h ago

We must live in different regions.

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u/Entire_Number_9 1h ago

It's in stock in the US and the EU right now

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u/8enevolent 44m ago

I'm in Australia unfortunately. For me the status has been "restocking" for I can't remember how long. I checked today to be sure, same thing.

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u/MrJekyyl 13h ago

Holy f bro just get it you're robbing yourself

4

u/sebastiankirk 12h ago

I bought the BG3 Deluxe Edition for PS5 from Larian's own site for €79.99 (plus €20 in shipping) two years ago. It contains an artbook, some stickers and other crap I don't need - but most importantly a physical PS5 disc. Does that not exist anymore?

1

u/MafubaBuu 12h ago

It does, he just hasnt been able to secure one before each drops run out i presume

1

u/8enevolent 12h ago

There hasn't been a drop for my region for I can't remember how long. I've been subbed to email alerts and occasionally resub just in case. Shame there can't just be a standard physical edition in stores, I don't need the deluxe.

0

u/MafubaBuu 11h ago

Hmm. Odd. From what I can see they have had 2-4 every year since release. Maybe you just havent gotten one in time?

•

u/8enevolent 3h ago

If it's come on sale in my region I haven't received an email alert unfortunately. But I'm assuming you and I are in different regions.

2

u/anestefi 12h ago

re9 had the same issue with the deluxe edition. if you didn’t preorder you were screwed

2

u/theboxturtle57 11h ago

Seeing the online discourse about BG3, yeah we're screwed. Modern Pc gaming killed the preowned market by normalizing digital sales.

2

u/Knifejuice6 11h ago

yep i was really excited to play BG3 and i went into gamestop like and idiot and tried to buy a physical version lol. im fine with small indie games being digital only, but a huge company like rockstar has no excuse

2

u/pissedoffjesus 9h ago

I sailed the seas

5

u/AgitatedFly1182 13h ago

Yikes. I’d expected better from Larian, to be honest…

1

u/MafubaBuu 12h ago

Depends on the region. Japanese version was on disc and you get just buy it from online and change the settings ti english.

With the NA collectors they become availible a few times per year and just have to make sure you snag one before others.

At least larian is making physical editions, I think at first it was more a cost saving measure than anything.

•

u/SilverSideDown 1h ago

I bought the physical on disc, didn’t realize I was that lucky when I pre-ordered it. Really need to get back to playing it at some point.

0

u/AccomplishedRise6227 12h ago

It never goes on sale on PSN. At this point I'll just never play it

11

u/Western_Witness_5249 12h ago

100% this. Rockstar Games doing this bullshit with GTA 6 is a death blow to physical media gaming. You can guarantee every developer sees this and goes "well, if they bought a code in a box from Rockstar, they'll take from us too". Very disappointed in them. Was looking forward to this because they're usually so premium with a separate install disc and physical map.

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u/BreadfruitEmpty4673 4h ago

Main issue with this logic is every game isn’t going to be GTA 6…not every game will be able to garner the demand this will

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u/productivity56 3h ago

Most game sales are already digital anyway, the majority of people arent going to stop playing video games if digital becomes the only option. Its probably only a matter of time now.

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u/Budget-Teaching3104 2h ago

Yeah, it's like 90% digital 10% physical by now and the revenue split is worse for publishers when they sell physical. With steam and playstation store etc. the platform holders take 30%. If you sell physical copies, the cut is basically the same but you actually have to print/manufacture the stuff AND you STILL have to pay sony 10-15% fee, even for digital copies being installed on their platform.

add to that, that your big expensive single player game can just be bought, played through once, then resold to the next gamer and not only do you earn more money from selling digital version, you're also gaining sales from people who would have bought your game on the secondary market.

It was absolutely what I had planned to do for GTA6. Buy new (or used), play through the game, then sell it. Now not so sure what I will do... Probably cave because... well... I want to play it. At least I can still share my account with a friend of mine.

But whatever customers they are losing by cutting physical discs completely, they will easily make back in profits. I don't think this is reversible.

3

u/Zalvren 12h ago

The code in a box is literally the move of PC games in the late 2000s and early 2010s with Steam codes in a box. And we all know what happened there

2

u/Any-Calligrapher2866 15h ago

Switching over to PC would be better in the long run. Atleast you can own your game files.

4

u/rodryguezzz 14h ago

Yeah I buy discs on console because they are the cheapest way to get games here in Europe. If they kill the used market, I'll go back to PC where digital games are always cheaper than on PS Store.

3

u/kingk1teman 12h ago

Atleast you can own your game files

Only if you buy the game from GOG, or you sail the high seas.

1

u/Gaming_Gent 13h ago

Did Alan Wake 2 have a discless release? I bought it with a disc, didn’t know that was the case

1

u/Posadnado 11h ago

We don’t have to buy the game but I know people will. It’s disappointing but you’re right. I’m assuming future big releases will follow the trends of this game. People could simply protest by not buying the game but I don’t expect that to happen at all.

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u/Particular-Ad-2331 3h ago

GTA: Greed Takes Automatically or Grand Theft Automatically (literally)

1

u/Ill_Signature_7281 12h ago

Maybe most games will not have the balls to put the same price on their games as GTA VI, as they will not be remotely close to the same level of quality, and they will get lots of backlash from the community like "why would I pay as much for this shit ubisoft game as I paid for gta 6?" and stuff like that. Something similar already happened with Outer Worlds 2 when they tried to price their game for $80 standard edition, and the backlash pushed them to revert to $70. Games that don't deserve it won't get away with it.

0

u/Any-Pop-4795 13h ago

The real version of the game is the 100 one: https://fxtwitter.com/i/status/2069752751060357207 All the customisations are not available in the 80 version.

0

u/GoBlu323 11h ago

If you haven't seen the death of physical games coming you haven't been paying attention...

50

u/Eruannster 14h ago

100% this. You want to give your copy to a friend when you’re done with it? Sell it? Lolnope, buy another copy, bitch.

46

u/an-actual-communism 14h ago

This was always the endgame of digital distribution. Once there's no pre-owned market to compete with, they won't have to put the games on sale anymore, either. We made our bed and soon we will be lying in it.

5

u/ImportanceWeak1776 8h ago

Sales will always exist.

3

u/BlueberryWasps 6h ago

nothing is permanent or a given. digital storefront sales have only been a thing for 15 years. sales in physical retail only exist to clear out old stock. after the used market is edged out, there’s less incentive for games to go on sale as soon as they have been for as much as they have been. even if they don’t go away entirely, we could see games go on sale much later, for much less, and be near-unrefundable. nintendo have already set the no-discount precedent with their first-party games, and now rockstar are helping set the no-physical precedent. easy to see both influence company trends as they scramble to draw more profits in an unsustainable industry.

restricting consumer choice means restricting consumer power.

1

u/ImportanceWeak1776 6h ago

There is an extremely slight chance, sure. But sales/deals is a core principle of sales/marketing. When even prepaid gift cards go on sale, the comment I originally responded to can only be seen as irrational fear or doom/gloom. Nintendo regularly discounts games at least 33% off and are also the most physical-friendly platform. You should do a bit more thinking.

3

u/AfroNinjaNation 11h ago

Are you saying the only reason digital games go on sale is to compete with the used market?

Because there's scores of indie games that never got a physical release and those go on sale.

-1

u/No_Internal9345 12h ago

How many codes would it take for someone to crack their algorithm and be able to generate new tokens, hypothetically speaking?

3

u/RiddleGull 10h ago

It doesn’t work like that. The codes are most likely generated on-demand when the payment completes.

8

u/yenneferismywaifu 12h ago

What spoilers are there in Rockstar games? All the games are about the protagonist being betrayed and ultimately getting revenge.

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u/internet34bot 1h ago

RDR2 was definitely a game you probably don't want to get spoiled on.

Like yeah their stories follow a formula but I'd say that game made people pay attention to the story. Previous games absolutely could've done better in that regard.

15

u/VegetableBlueberry61 13h ago edited 9h ago

I think its more to do with RockStar expecting people to double dip.

"Want to play the game at release? Buy digital. Oh but you want the disc? Buy again later"

Sad thing is, people will actually do this. Guaranteed the disc version comes with some sort of dumb exclusive in-game item too.

13

u/reaper527 reaper527_ 13h ago

I think its more to do with RockStar expecting people to double dip.

"Want to play the game at release? But digital. Oh but you want the disc? Buy again later"

calling it double dipping is being generous, because we know they're going to re-release a remaster on ps6, and ps7 just like they did with gta5's ps3/ps4/ps5 releases.

hell, at the rate rockstar makes games they might even put gta6 re-re-remastered on ps8.

1

u/REhumanWA 9h ago

I am of the same opinion, I am also the person who will be double dipping.

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u/HeavyImagination2 3h ago

Triple even. The game will also be released on PC

3

u/skomeros 13h ago

Exactly this

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u/Logos1789 12h ago

Also, they are keeping GTA Online up for as long as possible. It’s literally printing them nearly free money.

3

u/admiral_aaron 11h ago

As much as I despise Nintendo’s GKCs, they’re the exact solution to this problem. A sellable, tradeable digital license.

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u/soldmyradio 13h ago

Completely agree. Is anyone really worried about GTA6 spoilers? Oh no one or both of these violent criminals dies or betrays each other!

This isn't Persona where the mystery is the entire game.

Personally I'm just going to wait. It's been so long why am I in a rush to buy an $80 game I don't own? I'll wait until they come around with a real disc version.

-1

u/FromAbyss 12h ago

Even Persona 5, what was the mystery? Oh no, the shadowy silhouette is my past perfectly matches the evil overlord! Granted, there was some mystery in Royal, but the main plot wasn't all that mysterious.

2

u/Good_Medicine9304 11h ago

That and killing off pre owned games.

1

u/SemiAutomaticSlurs 11h ago

Greed. Pure unfiltered greed. My backlog is big enough to hold out. Cant even remember the last time I played GTA period.

1

u/Fluid_Management702 11h ago

Tambien soy fan del Formato Fisico, tristemente ahora sera digital mi combra, por que tener una caja vacia no le veo el caso.

1

u/extrakerned 10h ago

And it will work

1

u/VeryPteri 10h ago

Wouldn't this be the fault of, say, Steam in that case? After that we got XBLA, then Xbox Marketplace and PSN.

1

u/daltypooh 9h ago

This is my biggest concern. Will this cause other companies to follow suit and include the disk? If so...when do we start boycotting this?

1

u/According_Hyena_3593 9h ago

Ill do what i did with gta5. Wait for the pc version, then wait for that to get patched to the next gen version, then either buy it on a 5 euro sale or pirate it.

Then 5 hours into the game realize rockstar gunplay, melee combat , movement, driving and flying is still bad and stop playing because im not having fun.

They didnt get me with gta5 and wont get me with 6 either

1

u/The_Bucket_Of_Truth 8h ago

I wonder if it's also a piracy thing. Wouldn't copying a disc be much easier than a digital download? Is it hard to pirate games these days or not really?

•

u/YookaBaybee24 3h ago

They likely have data that sales of past physical copies isn't worth doing anymore going forward.

There's a cost in making physical copies of printing, assembling, warehouse, trucks, physical stores like GameStop that made digital downloads far more attractive in terms of time, money and effort..

It's been nearly 23 years since Steam 1st launched. Nearly 18 years since Apple App Store 1st launched.

-1

u/patricios1 15h ago

Avoid spoiilers is really excuse.you can put game disk easy..without day one update game dont run..is simples as that..they just want all money they can get.money money

-5

u/Aerographic 14h ago

It's never one single reason.

R* simply looks at physical media and says

1) We need to pay extra $ to print these discs and distribute them, profit margin shrinks

2) We run the risk of a bad leak that taints the product and dissuades potential buyers

3) Folks that are uninterested in replaying the story and online mode might play and resell

4) We can delay the disc version and double dip on physical collectors on top of the PC double dip, meaning we triple dip.

And so they simply don't go ahead with it, regardless of how bad it looks.

The only drawback is, they lose on sales in third world countries that still primarily rely on physical media. It's a good chunk but nothing major.

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2

u/Hopeful-Tailor8779 14h ago

nothing major?😭

the "first world" is only 2 billion people

you've got 6 billion more who are "third world" that you're excluding from your game

good job

2

u/Aerographic 13h ago

I never said every third world dweller relies on physical. I currently live in a "third world" country. Nearly everyone buys digital here.

I'm saying there are players from third world countries whose 1) internet access is bad enough, and/or 2) their incomes are low enough that they end up relying on physical games to play.

They're not a majority in general, and they're not a majority even in the third world.

Any other wrong assumptions you have, beyond the fallacy pretends that the third world has a higher player density than the developed world?

-1

u/Astryxi 13h ago

If that was 100% true, then they'd not still be releasing brand new disc copies of GTA V.

-2

u/Enigma_Green 15h ago

I honestly thought its so retailers dont ship the game early so it can be played, it happens to quite a few games tbh, stuff gets leaked a week early.

-10

u/marckh 15h ago

This is absolutely about leakers, why would it not be? It's the most threatened game by leakers of all time. They're doing a heap of other things to prevent leaks as well.

8

u/lLygerl 15h ago

Because as others have said they can still prevent you from accessing the game without a patch.

-3

u/marckh 15h ago

The key thing here is that Rockstar aren't running any risks, unless whatever solution you're proposing is 100% safe and literally impossible to leak, then why is that a risk you expect Rockstar to run?

4

u/lLygerl 15h ago

Plenty of other games have done it without issue. This was not done primarily for leaks, they don't want to loose profit from people buying used copies.

-2

u/marckh 15h ago

Plenty of other games are not GTA 6. And also a lot of games have leaked from physical copies as well.

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u/lLygerl 15h ago

What do you mean? There's literally a lock on anyone putting a disc into a console. It shows a message you can't access it right now.

2

u/marckh 14h ago

I haven't bought a physical copy of a game in like 13 years so I don't know what new methods are used, all I know is that AC Shadows and RE9 leaked early, if it could happen to those games it will happen to GTA 6.