Rockstar Video games co-founder Dan Houser believes that, if gamers need their video games launched on bodily media, then “firms ought to present it.”
The former Grand Theft Auto and Pink Lifeless Redemption developer opened up in regards to the state of bodily media within the gaming house throughout a dialog with IGN at San Diego Comedian-Con (SDCC) 2026. He did not have a robust opinion when requested if he personally cares about bodily versus digital releases, however in terms of others, his ideas had been fairly lower and dry.
“I do not know that I care, but when individuals need that, I feel firms ought to present it,” Houser stated. “However I do not know that I personally care.
“I additionally suppose that, as crucial as individuals are of digital releases, the flexibility to replace and repair issues in video games has been actually helpful for the standard of video games.”
The query arrives as avid gamers of each background take to social media to pontificate about latest modifications within the bodily and digital gaming house. PlayStation has discovered itself in headlines for weeks after confirming it could 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 is not going to ship on a disc when it launches this November.
Lazlow Jones, who labored with Houser at Rockstar earlier than leaving to affix 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 kind of feeling if 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 attention-grabbing. We have labored in digital collectively for lots of years, after which making a bodily product of a comic book e book is a unique inventive course of but additionally simply actually fulfilling to have a bodily factor you’ll be able to 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 in regards to the state of bodily media. Nier creator Yoko Taro, Steel Gear Stable creator Hideo Kojima, and Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot are only a few of the names who’ve chimed in with ideas not too long ago.
For now, Houser is at Absurd Ventures, an organization he based and formally introduced in 2023. For extra on his ideas on the trade, you’ll be able to see what he needed to say about how individuals play open-world video games.
Photograph by Chelsea Guglielmino/Getty Photos.
Michael Cripe is a contract author with IGN. He is finest identified for his work at websites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. You’ll want to give him a comply with on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
