Overview
- Take‑Two CEO Strauss Zelnick reinforced support for Sony’s plan on Friday, saying the company is already more than 90% digitally distributed and that physical discs "don't really make sense" for many big releases.
- Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto VI will be sold as a boxed product that contains a download code rather than a playable disc, and Take‑Two described initial pre‑orders as exceptional.
- Sony has set a January 2028 cutoff for PlayStation disc manufacturing and its fulfillment arm is shifting operations while retailers prepare to sell boxed download codes instead of disc inventory.
- Players, preservation groups and some regulators have launched large petitions, planned PlayStation blackouts and legal complaints in Europe over loss of resale rights and long‑term access to purchased games.
- Publishers point to higher margins on digital storefronts and already dominant digital sales as the main driver of the move, a change that could shrink used‑game markets and reshape retail and collector practices.