The evolution of technology has brought us major advancements in how we store and consume media. The last 10 years or so have seen digital purchasing of goods increasing end over end. There are inherent risks to this, though, specifically with accessibility, availability, and individual ownership. People are starting to realize this as a push for physical media is coming back. That’s in part what makes the news about Grand Theft Auto VI so hard to stomach.
The game is not going to have a physical copy upon release.
As confirmed by developer Rockstar Games, GTA VI will not have a disc at launch. What you get instead is a box with a download code inside. Reportedly, a disc-based version is coming at a future date. The details of that are not firm, though, and doesn’t change what’s happening here. It’s not hyperbole to say that this game is the most anticipated title in the last ten years. Considering that GTA V is the second-highest-selling video game in history, there’s no disputing the level of anticipation here. Rockstar Games knows this, too.
Rockstar Games also confirmed that GTA VI is going to cost $79.99 for the standard version of the game. It’s not the first title to cost that much. It will be the first to have that price and not have a physical copy. The price is already $20 higher than the normal pricing point for a game, and they’re still saving costs on not having to pay for the discs. You could argue this is to recoup the massive development costs of the game. Sure, but they’re going to recoup it in the number of sales regardless of the price hike. Part of this is just all about making even more money. And because of the demand for the game, the initial amount of sales on release day is going to put a massive dent in the number of disc-based copies they need to print, if they ever do.
This is a big step towards trying to do away with physical media. We’ve had digital-only releases of games before, but not with the biggest game in years. This is a whole other level of taking away a distribution and ownership channel. There’s always the threat of something happening to media that you own, physical or digital. DVD’s can have disc rot. CDs can scratch, so can vinyl, and a digital copy of something can vanish if the platform housing it doesn’t make it available anymore. But at least with a physical copy, it’s easier to store, to back it up, and to have full ownership of it.
Gaming companies really don’t want you to own your games. Terms and agreements have shifted to where these businesses say that you are “licensing” the games from them to play. When a game has an online mode, that can be gone as soon as the servers are turned off. If a company decides to revoke the “license” you have for a game you purchased, even if it’s not online only, what are you going to do? The complications inherent in all this are why physical media ownership is so vital to collectors and consumers alike.
It has been a slow, slow creep that companies have made into the digital-only space, and trying to revoke the idea of ownership for the consumer. There has to be a time to fight back against it. If you purchase a product, you should own that copy of the product. It’s a simple statement, but one that holds true. Even if you don’t like the hassle of changing and inserting discs, you should have the option. This issue ties to the heart of consumers’ rights, media preservation, and even pricing models for distribution. When you have a title that’s as big as GTA VI, Rockstar knows they hold all the cards. Now they’re playing them as they see fit.
We shouldn’t take it lightly.
