TL;DR: When Rockstar Games revealed yesterday that the most anticipated game of the decade would cost at least $79.99, people were shocked. And, even worse, it also announced that the Grand Theft Auto VI physical editions won’t include a disc when the game releases on November 19. Both announcements could have big knock-on effects for the gaming industry.
What happened: That sound you just heard is the frustrated sigh of millions of gamers who’ve been waiting for the next GTA installment for nearly 13 years now. At $79.99, GTA VI follows Mario Kart World in charging a new high price for the standard version of a game (though it’s cheaper than some feared), and the Ultimate Edition, which comes with extra in-game content, costs a painful $99.99.
The price is one thing, but the bigger uproar comes from the lack of a real physical disc on launch day—the boxes will only have a download code, aggravating consumers who want more tangible ownership of their media. In response, Rockstar clarified that discs will follow “months” later, with an insider saying it could be in December.
The GTA effect: Part of the backlash stems from the worry that such decisions won’t just affect one game and one studio—Rockstar is a Goliath whose choices could cement existing trends for the rest of the industry. GTA V, which came out in late 2013, has shipped over 225 million copies globally, and its online multiplayer mode allegedly still rakes in over $1 million per day, according to leaked Rockstar data from April. GTA VI is expected to make such an impact that many game releases were moved specifically to avoid competing with it.
Party pooper: This news has put a damper on a release that many gamers viewed as about 100 Super Bowls rolled into one. Most game sales are now digital, but there are real benefits to owning discs over digital licenses—the latter can be revoked at any time; you can’t buy or sell on the secondary market, and modern games have huge install sizes that are inconvenient for people with slow internet or who like to keep multiple games on their device.
Bottom line: For some gamers, Rockstar’s decision to forgo discs on release is an anti-consumer move that comes at a time when other physical media is making a comeback. Still, all signs so far point to the game likely shattering sales records at a head-spinning pace. —WK
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