If you weren’t aware, Grand Theft Auto VI will arrive later this year. The video game has been years in the making, costing somewhere in the region of $1.5 billion. The big outlay will probably be shrugged off by its creator, Rockstar Games, because GTA VI is arguably the most highly anticipated video game in history. Its financial success is almost guaranteed, even if the final product doesn’t match the hype.
Interestingly, though, once you finally get your hands on the game, you’ll receive a box in the form of the game’s cover, and you will receive a code to access the game. In short, there will be no disc. The code gives you the right to download and play the game. It’s basically an access code, or in another way, you are given a license to play GTA VI.
Not long after the GTA VI news was announced, Sony also released a statement saying that it would end the sale of physical PlayStation games by 2028. The process will be the same: Players will receive a code. If buying in a store, you might get a physical box, so that will be something for collectors to bear in mind. Yet, it signals the death of the physical video game.
Gaming has mostly moved online
Now, many people might shrug at this news. The vast majority of gamers play online anyway. In addition, other forms of entertainment, from music streaming to Netflix to playing casino games online, are (mostly) done without physical purchases, so what’s the big deal about a physical video game?
Well, the short answer is it is about ownership: If you buy a code that, on paper, is a contract to allow you to play a specific video game, the question arises – who actually owns the game? Is it you, the player? Or is it the video games company? For critics of the move to abandon physical games, the answer is the latter.
To be fair, you can see the reasoning from Sony and others. They believe that physical media is easier to copy and pirate. There are also fears that a physical disc can be shared before the game is actually released, potentially impacting sales.
A question of ownership rights
However, critics are up in arms – and we should stress that Sony was hammered by gamers on social media after the announcement. They say that the lack of physical media means, for example, that you cannot lend the game to a friend. It also poses a problem for people who want to sell a game after they have finished with it. There is a healthy marketplace for second-hand games, so what will happen to them?
In addition, there are those who worry that gaming companies aren’t the best custodians of gaming history. Gaming companies can – and have – ended support for certain online games, effectively switching them off. Some see physical media as a means to preserving and archiving gaming history, not to mention keeping some games ‘alive’.
So, while Sony’s announcement might not seem of huge consequence, the backlash has been considerable. And while the company, and others like it, will act in its best interests, it would not be surprising to see a U-turn.