Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick Won't Rule Out GTA 6 on Disc at Some Point, Insists Decision Had Nothing to Do With Concern Over Leaks

One of the large questions pursuing the daze determination not to merchandise GTA 6 on-disc astatine motorboat is whether Rockstar volition ever merchandise a disc mentation of the game. In a caller interrogation with IGN, Strauss Zelnick, brag of Rockstar genitor institution Take-Two, refused to regularisation it out.

Speaking contiguous pursuing the merchandise of Take-Two’s Q1 2027 financials, Zelnick defended the company’s determination not to merchandise GTA 6 connected a disc, insisting erstwhile it comes to large games, discs “don’t truly marque consciousness for the consumer.”

And successful a caller interrogation with IGN, Zelnick doubled down connected his comments to the concern community, confirming much than 90% of Take-Two’s income are digital.

“In bid to play video games, you request to beryllium connected today,” Zelnick added. “So everyone's connected. So it's conscionable a substance of the astir businesslike mode to get the rubric into people's hands.”

That’s the concern for the motorboat of GTA 6, but what astir the longer word view? We asked Zelnick if helium could regularisation retired the anticipation of GTA 6 ever releasing connected disc. Here's his response: “I wouldn't regularisation retired thing astatine this signifier of the game. What we've announced truthful acold is what we're doing astatine the moment, but we are ever unfastened minded.”

After Rockstar confirmed the GTA 6 nary disc concern backmost successful June, immoderate wondered if it was successful portion astir preventing leaks successful the tally up to the game’s launch. Having nary carnal discs loaded with crippled information volition assistance with "Rockstar's near-pathological secrecy," Rhys Elliot, caput of marketplace investigation astatine Alinea Analytics, told IGN astatine the time. It besides ensured crippled information lone unlocks astatine launch, meaning nary damaging aboriginal leaks from copies "lost disconnected the backmost of a truck." GTA 6 has already seen 1 large pre-launch leak, and with fans poring implicit each past snippet of accusation astir the game, it's casual to spot wherefore Rockstar would privation to support power implicit each past detail.

However, speaking to IGN today, Zelnick denied information had thing to bash with the decision. “No,” Zelnick responded erstwhile asked if interest implicit GTA 6 perchance leaking if it were released connected disc factored into Take-Two’s reasoning successful immoderate way.

There is an ongoing backlash not conscionable to Rockstar’s determination connected GTA 6, but besides Sony’s announcement to discontinue PlayStation disc accumulation from 2028. This has seen gamers proceed to telephone connected Sony to U-turn connected its decision, signing online petitions and swarming implicit PlayStation societal media posts to explicit interest astir video crippled preservation and ownership — adjacent overshadowing the merchandise of caller games that person thing to bash with what’s going connected astatine Sony. Meanwhile, backers of carnal media person called connected gamers to boycott PlayStation for a week successful August to nonstop a connection to Sony that its determination to termination discs from 2028 is unacceptable. Complaints person besides travel from different groups. The UK’s Digital Entertainment and Retail Association (ERA), for example, called Sony’s determination “a triumph of firm convenience implicit user choice.”

Last week, Sony yet broke its soundlessness connected its determination to discontinue PlayStation discs to accidental it is not having immoderate interaction connected its concern now, and it doesn’t spot immoderate antagonistic interaction successful the future. Executives person insisted Sony volition not alteration its mind, portion acknowledging “strong views” from the video crippled community.

And speaking to IGN, Zelnick offered a akin effect to the backlash, expressing his content that GTA 6 not releasing connected a disc fundamentally won’t wounded Take-Two financially. “I surely anticipation determination volition beryllium nary antagonistic interaction and I don't expect that determination volition beryllium one,” helium said.

Zelnick agreed with the assertion that helium sees a aboriginal erstwhile carnal discs conscionable spell distant wholly (“yes, I do”), but didn’t privation to enactment a timeframe connected it. “I truly wouldn't beryllium capable to guess,” helium said. “And by going away, there'll inactive beryllium immoderate successful the aforesaid mode that there's inactive immoderate vinyl successful the recorded euphony business, but I don't judge it'll beryllium a lot.”

And yet connected the GTA 6 disc issue, Zelnick distanced Take-Two from the proposition that it was influenced by Sony’s determination to discontinue PlayStation discs from 2028, stressing: “We wanted to bash what was close for the project.”

When Sony announced its determination it said it was simply pursuing user trends. “In effect to shifting trends successful user preference, caller games volition beryllium released connected PlayStation Store and astatine retailers successful integer formats only,” Sid Shuman, Senior Director, Sony Interactive Entertainment Content Communications, said successful a station connected PlayStation Blog.

Sony's latest financials amusement an 82% integer download ratio for afloat crippled bundle crossed PS4 and PS5. Reinforcing this trend, Mat Piscatella, Senior Director and Video Game Industry Advisor astatine Circana, precocious said that conscionable 7 PlayStation video games had sold much than 100,000 carnal units truthful acold this twelvemonth successful the U.S.. Only 2 PlayStation video games sold much than 10,000 carnal units successful the U.S. during the week ending July 11.

For Sony, going all-digital for caller crippled releases volition gain it much wealth from each merchantability astatine a clip erstwhile console income are expected to plummet owed to their rising cost. For a first-party PlayStation crippled specified arsenic The Last of Us, Sony volition lone support astir 65% of the wealth from a carnal copy, with astir 30% going to the retailer and astir different 5% connected manufacturing costs. Meanwhile, for a carnal transcript of a third-party crippled specified arsenic the Activision-published Call of Duty, Sony volition get a licensing fee, apt astir 15%.

For downloads, however, the margins are overmuch higher. For a first-party crippled sold via Sony's ain PlayStation Store, the institution evidently keeps 100% of the revenue. For third-party games specified arsenic Call of Duty, meanwhile, Sony keeps a 30% chopped (so, astir $21 for a $70 game).

We've got plentifulness much from Zelnick today, including his comments connected the GTA 6 terms points, and Netflix's timed exclusivity connected the adjacent GTA 6 trailer.

Photo by Steven Ferdman/Getty Images.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].