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The upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto VI is no doubt an exciting one for those who have been waiting for years to play, but as things so often do these days, the realities of the world are coming home to roost. The price of the game was the first potential sticking point, and the fact that some stores and features are locked behind the Ultimate Edition really didn't go down well with everyone.
At the same time, delays, the prices of consoles (for those who need to buy one to play the game), and a myriad of other factors have been more than enough to turn some of the positive sentiment around. Now, there's another major point of contention, and it has arguably caused the most consternation among the community that we have seen to date.
If you've been keeping up with your gaming news recently, you'll know that physical media and the concept of ownership have been hot button issues. Sony announced they will no longer be producing game discs from 2028, and that went down just as badly with players as you might expect.
Now, the Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that there will never be a physical release of GTA VI, beyond being given a box with a code in it. That has led fans to speculate on the exact reason for this, with many thinking that it could have been a decision made due to the game's file size.
"Red Dead Redemption 2 was released on two discs. Multiple games have been released on two discs. So that's not really a deciding factor in doing a physical release. Rockstar just decided they want to have a digital only release. They want to control the purchase price of this game," one comment read, over on Reddit.
"Oh boy. I remember my childhood when some games required 6 discs or more to be installed. If anything, a larger game would render discs even more important - not everyone has top tier internet and for some people a 200+ gb game would mean an entire week of downloading," another added.
"This and Sony axing people media library’s should be a wake up call to everyone, but it won’t and people will defend them," a third said under a different thread discussing the topic.
The problem really comes because Rockstar knows that GTA VI is basically going to be an enormous commercial success, almost regardless of decisions they make like the one above. Hopefully they reverse the decision to never produce a physical edition, but it is difficult to see a future where that happens, unfortunately.
