Sony and Rockstar eyeing all-digital future

By Ryan Denkovic

For as long as the industry has existed, you could always buy the physical copy of video games. Now, Sony wants to ditch that method of purchase altogether and make gaming a digital-only venture. In July of this year, gaming and entertainment goliath Sony Interactive Entertainment announced that, by the beginning of 2028, it would halt and discontinue production of physical media for the PlayStation line of consoles. This decision was made due to analytics showing that 80% of game sales for the PlayStation came from digital copies of games. The decision received backlash from fans, as the concern of preservation through physical media has spiked in recent years. 

The recent trend of purchasing physical media has seen a very noticeable increase in recent years, especially among Generation Z. This applies to mediums outside gaming as well, like DVDs and Blu-Rays for film and CDs and vinyls for music. The concerns stem from the increase in streaming services and subscriptions and the normalization of films not being able to be watched on any streaming platforms. If, hypothetically, “Stranger Things” were to be taken off Netflix, those who do not physically own the series would not be able to watch the show. And this is especially true when it comes to games. 

The gaming industry has seen a rise in indie games. For those who may not know, indie games are those that are made independently and without the financial backing of a larger studio. Many of these games gain significant traction online and become very popular. Deltarune and Mecha Chameleon, for example, are both indie games that have sold millions of copies each, with Deltarune specifically breaking multiple records on Valve’s digital gaming platform, Steam.

Recently, however, Sony is not the only company that is moving toward an all-digital model. Rockstar Games, known for the Grand Theft Auto series, has made a controversial decision with their upcoming game, Grand Theft Auto VI. They have also decided to go completely digital with the game, as well as locking exclusive content for the game behind the “Special Edition” release, which will cost $100; a $20 increase from the base game.

This decision has garnered major backlash, as well, most notably by an anonymous entity named CyberLeek. Last month, they leaked footage of the game and showcased the in-game map, claiming to have total access to the game. CyberLeek also threatened to release more footage of the game if Rockstar did not change the all-digital rollout of the game. 

On Aug. 26, Rockstar posted an official statement on the social media site X, apologizing for “everything [taking] as long as it has,” in reference to the many delays that the game has faced, and thanked those who have been patient enough to wait for the official gameplay trailer. This gameplay trailer was released on Netflix the next day, which also outraged a lot of fans, as they believe that the trailer for a game should not be locked behind a subscription.

At the time of writing this, neither Sony nor Rockstar have backed down from the all-digital future they seem to be pushing, despite the backlash and complaints of countless fans, many of whom are reciting the phrase, “If buying isn’t owning, then piracy isn’t stealing” in comment sections of Sony’s social media posts. Many fans are now considering piracy as a way to protest the all-digital format or not engage with Sony at all with their future endeavors, choosing to stick with the Xbox Series X/S or the Nintendo Switch 2.

As someone who is a huge advocate for physical media, I vehemently disagree with Sony and Rockstar’s choices. Their push to cease production of physical copies of games is nothing less than aggravating, and even insulting to myself and many other collectors. Physically owning games gives the consumer the ability to actually own what they buy, instead of purchasing a license to engage with that media. The case with GTA VI makes me especially nervous; if this game is a hit, critically and financially, it would mean the industry takes one step closer to a future where the consumer doesn’t own anything, and the big companies have power over the entire market. Any form of art, including video games, is supposed to be a conversation between artist and viewer, and we should not get to a point where that conversation is being interfered with by greedy corporations trying to control everything. 

Ryan Denkovic is a sophomore English major