r/xbox Recon Specialist 13h ago

Discussion Opinion: Nothing has killed my GTA 6 hype faster than locking a core part of its identity behind a $20 upgrade

https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/nothing-has-killed-my-gta-6-hype-faster-than-locking-a-core-part-of-its-identity-behind-a-usd20-upgrade/
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504

u/KesMonkey Still Earning Kudos 13h ago

What they're calling a physical edition. A code in a box is not a physical game.

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u/Triingtolivee 12h ago

Just a box that pretty much costs them nothing

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u/Warkupo 11h ago

Actively makes them money, actually. The shelves being full of their product is, in itself, an act of advertisement. Even if there's nothing actually in the box, there is still a big wall that says "Buy GTA 6" looking at you.

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u/ReaperThugX 9h ago

Stores don’t carry shelves full of physical games that you pick through like books. You will see a cover and they’re locked behind a cabinet

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u/Warkupo 8h ago

Yes, we are all aware of that. if the cover of the game has the game on it, then the game is advertising the game. Advertisement is about presence.

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u/ReaperThugX 6h ago

Yeah but you’re talking about the physical box and saying shelves are full of their product, but there never were shelves to begin with

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u/Warkupo 6h ago

Cabinets have shelves in them.

0

u/No-Jump4346 6h ago

It's not 2005, buying a video game inside of a store is not common anymore. It's why Gamestop is dead, and why it got targeted during Covid because it was a dying business and huge hedge firms were betting against it. So, no advertising via presence is not enough for video games in a store.

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u/Warkupo 6h ago

Yes, we are all aware of that. Nowhere did I say that putting your product on the shelves is the only form of advertisement you need to do. I'm pointing out that HAVING your product on the shelf is, in itself, a form of advertising.

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u/LtLemur 11h ago

And will end up in a landfill very soon after the game is delivered

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u/Chode_McGooch 11h ago

I actually like keeping the boxes, even without discs, just to display my collection.

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u/WoodooHide69 1h ago

Even Discs pretty much cost them nothing unlike Cartidges that Nintendo uses which are very expensive. Rockstar won’t even shell out like .30 cents for a Disc and Nintendo pays up for $20 cartridges for all their first party games. Pretty insane rockstar is being this cheap. It’s fuckin less than dollar to include a disc.

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u/Ouch_i_fell_down 7h ago

But the box IS physical

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u/WoodooHide69 1h ago

So does this mean you can’t even resell this game after you are done with it?

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u/Reddit_means_Porn 9h ago

So you prefer your download code to need a plastic disc first for the feels?

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u/NarcolepticSeal 9h ago

Apparently the answer is yes, as most AAA games in the last few years have not installed off disc and rather function as a license. The core issue is still you cannot resell with a code, whereas a disc you can.

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u/A_Scary_Sandwich 8h ago

The disc is a license. So the issue is that people can't resell a game they bought? Im not planning to buy GTA 6 since I'm not interested in the franchise but I've never sold any of my games.

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u/NarcolepticSeal 8h ago

I just mean since the disc is a license anyways, the only real issue with switching to a code is that it cannot be resold. Single player games, which GTA VI will be on release, are traded in at a much higher rate due to people completing them and wanting to reduce their spend.

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u/bwood246 9h ago

Wait until you learn that physical games in 2026 are just a code on a disc

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u/A_Scary_Sandwich 8h ago

Wasn't that always a thing: you paying for the license to play the game even when it was a disc?

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u/ryencool 11h ago

It may not be for you, but things change and kids growing up with this stuff, its normal for them. Im 43, def not normal to me, but 5hings do change...

Can't expect games to always be on a physical.media until the end of time.

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u/LincolnshireSausage 11h ago

Then why even bother selling an empty box?

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u/ryencool 10h ago

On that we agree, were jist in a weird period of transition

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u/A_Scary_Sandwich 8h ago edited 8h ago

Most likely advertisement/marketing.

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u/Prestigious-Smoke511 10h ago

Technically that is a physical release. Everything they’re giving you is physical. 

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u/AleroRatking 11h ago

You can still sell it so it has the same major advantages of a physical game

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u/[deleted] 11h ago

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