- Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick confirmed that digital-only is the way forward for GTA 6.
- Zelnick said that physical discs "don't really make sense" for big games like GTA 6.
- Zelnick also claimed Take-Two's business is "90% digital", so digital games are "much more convenient" for players.
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick put forth his two cents on GTA 6’s digital-only release, taking the code-in-box route on the August 7 earnings call. According to him, digital ownership is the path forward, stating that “Discs don’t really make sense for the consumer”.
Zelnick Backs GTA 6 Digital-Only Release in Take-Two Investor Call
When asked during today’s Take-Two investor call Q&A, Zelnick declined to comment on Sony’s decision to phase out physical PlayStation game discs starting in January 2028. However, he did expand on why a GTA 6 physical disc doesn’t make sense for a game of that scale.
Here’s what the Take-Two CEO had to say when an investor questioned him about GTA 6’s code-in-box physical release with no disc inside:
“Our business is well over 90% digitally distributed. It’s already a digital business. So in certain instances, especially if it’s a big game, discs just – and note I said discs – don’t really make sense for the consumer.”
Zelnick added that digital is “much more convenient,” saying that most modern games already require players to register online while advocating for a GTA 6 digital-only release. While he declined to comment directly on Sony’s decision to phase out physical PlayStation discs, he said he understands the reason behind such a sudden move.
The Take-Two CEO gave the example of physical releases being equivalent to vinyl records when talking midway about GTA 6 pre-orders, saying, “That’s where the world is going in our opinion, and I think Sony understands that. We certainly understand that.”
“It doesn’t mean that we won’t have physical additions now and then; I’m sure we will in the same way that there’s still vinyl in the recorded music business. But in other instances, it just won’t make sense”, concluded Zelnick.
Sony CFO Lin Tao shared a similar mindset, doubling down on their all-digital move and stating that Sony will cautiously move forward with their decision to kill Physical games. Tao provided that, moving forward, PlayStation code-in-boxes will replace physical discs.
In response, players had called for a one-week “PS Blackout” boycott from August 23, 2026, to protest against an all-digital future. However, with GTA 6 receiving an Extended Look the same week, and Zelnick vouching for a digital future, it remains to be seen how successful the movement actually is.
