Rockstar Video games co-founder Dan Houser believes that, if gamers need their video games launched on bodily media, then “corporations ought to present it.”
The former Grand Theft Auto and Pink Lifeless Redemption developer opened up concerning the state of bodily media within the gaming area throughout a dialog with IGN at San Diego Comedian-Con (SDCC) 2026. He did not have a powerful opinion when requested if he personally cares about bodily versus digital releases, however relating to others, his ideas have been fairly reduce and dry.
“I do not know that I care, but when individuals need that, I feel corporations ought to present it,” Houser stated. “However I do not know that I personally care.
“I additionally assume that, as vital as individuals are of digital releases, the power to replace and repair issues in video games has been actually helpful for the standard of video games.”
The query arrives as players of each background take to social media to pontificate about current adjustments within the bodily and digital gaming area. PlayStation has discovered itself in headlines for weeks after confirming it will stop manufacturing of latest bodily video games beginning in January 2028. Funnily sufficient, Rockstar has additionally been concerned within the dialog, with Grand Theft Auto followers nonetheless coming to phrases with affirmation that GTA 6 won’t ship on a disc when it launches this November.
Lazlow Jones, who labored with Houser at Rockstar earlier than leaving to hitch him at Absurd Ventures, was additionally in attendance at SDCC. In his response to the query, he defined his relationship with each bodily and digital video games.
“All of us have that form of feeling whenever you get that duplicate, and you set the disc within the console, however I additionally must say I actually like being on the airport and going, ‘Oh, cool. I can obtain some fast video games to my Steam Deck for this 12-hour flight.’
“That is what’s been fascinating. We have labored in digital collectively for lots of years, after which making a bodily product of a comic book ebook is a distinct inventive course of but additionally simply actually fulfilling to have a bodily factor you possibly can say, ‘Look. We made a factor.'”
Houser interjected: “I really like bodily media.”
The Rockstar co-founder is not the primary developer to share his ideas concerning the state of bodily media. Nier creator Yoko Taro, Steel Gear Stable creator Hideo Kojima, and Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot are just some of the names who’ve chimed in with ideas lately.
For now, Houser is at Absurd Ventures, an organization he based and formally introduced in 2023. For extra on his ideas on the business, you possibly can see what he needed to say about how individuals play open-world video games.
Picture by Chelsea Guglielmino/Getty Pictures.
Michael Cripe is a contract author with IGN. He is finest identified for his work at websites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure you give him a comply with on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
