- News
- Technology News
- Gaming News
- GTA creator Dan Houser on whether physical copies of games should exist: If players want companies should provide
Trending
Jeff Bezos
Mark Cuban
ITC Infotech Google Cloud
US Bans Chinese Technology
GTA creator Dan Houser on whether physical copies of games should exist: If players want companies should provide
<img src="https://comicvibe.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/gta-creator-dan-houser-on-whether-physical-copies-of-games-should-exist-if-players-want-companies-should-provide.jpg” alt=”GTA creator Dan Houser on whether physical copies of games should exist: If players want companies should provide”>
Rockstar Games co-founder and co-creator of the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) franchise, Dan Houser, expressed his thoughts on the ongoing discussion about physical versus digital game release. He has said that if retailers desire so, developers should offer them a chance to buy a boxed version of their game. “I don’t know that I care, but if people want that, I think companies should offer it,” he explained.While Houser said he does not have a strong personal preference between physical and digital releases, he acknowledged that digital distribution has benefited game development. In an interview with IGN at SDCC 2026, Houser said, “I also think that, as critical as people are of digital releases, the ability to update and fix problems in games has been really useful for the quality of games,”Houser’s comments come as the gaming industry continues to shift towards digital distribution. PlayStation recently confirmed it will stop producing new physical games from January 2028, while Rockstar has also confirmed that Grand Theft Auto 6 will not ship on a disc when it launches in November.
Houser and Lazlow Jones
on physical and digital games
Responding to the discussion, Houser said his own preference is less important than giving players a choice. He said, “I don’t know that I care, but if people want that, I think companies should provide it. But I don’t know that I personally care.”Lazlow Jones, who worked with Houser at Rockstar before joining him at Absurd Ventures, also shared his perspective on the changing gaming landscape.”We all have that sort of feeling when you get that copy, and you put the disc in the console, but I also have to say I really like being at the airport and going, ‘Oh, cool. I can download some quick games to my Steam Deck for this 12-hour flight,'” Jones added.He noted, “That’s what’s been interesting. We’ve worked in digital together for a lot of years, and then making a physical product of a comic book is a different creative process but also just really fulfilling to have a physical thing you can say, ‘Look. We made a thing.'”Houser then interjected saying, “I love physical media.”
Physical media debate continues across the gaming industry
The conversation comes as there’s broader debate about the future of physical game releases. The news of PlayStation discontinuing new physical games from January 2028 has created a buzz, and Rockstar’s confirmation of no disc version of GTA 6 has also been a hot topic among players.Houser is not the only game developer to comment on the topic. NieR creator Yoko Taro, Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima and Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot have also shared their views on the future of physical and digital game distribution. Houser currently leads Absurd Ventures, the entertainment company he founded and announced in 2023.
Latest Mobiles
Photostories
Meghalaya’s Lakadong Turmeric has 10% curcumin, the highest among Indian varieties: What does this actually means for your healthWhy airplane windows are round: The engineering mistake that changed ahabits instead
