Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser said he doesn't personally care whether games are released physically or digitally but believes companies should provide physical versions if players want them. "I don't know that I care, but if people want that, companies should provide it," Houser said during a July 2026 interview at San Diego Comic-Con 2026 [1, 2].

Houser emphasized benefits of digital releases, especially the ability to update and fix games after launch, which he says has improved game quality despite criticism of digital formats. "The ability to update and fix problems in games has been really useful for the quality of games," he said [2].

Lazlow Jones, former Rockstar writer and collaborator with Houser at Absurd Ventures, echoed mixed feelings. He enjoys the tactile experience of physical copies but appreciates digital convenience. "We all love that feeling of getting a copy and putting 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 games to my Steam Deck for this 12 hour flight,'" Jones said [1]. Jones also noted making physical comic books as a creative and fulfilling process [3].

Houser and Jones currently work at Absurd Ventures, a company Houser founded that is developing two open-world games [4].

In industry shifts, Sony announced it will stop producing physical discs for games starting January 2028. This aligns with Grand Theft Auto 6, set for November 2026, which will launch as a digital-only release with no physical discs [1, 3, 4, 2].

Houser also expressed love for physical media, including comic books, describing creating physical products as creatively fulfilling. "I love physical media," he said [1, 3, 4, 2].

Other industry figures such as Sega president Shuji Utsumi, Hideo Kojima, and Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot have publicly discussed the decline of physical media with varying views [1, 3].

Sony’s halt on physical disc production takes effect January 2028, marking a definitive end to physical disc releases on that platform. Grand Theft Auto 6’s digital-only launch in November 2026 will be one of the last major releases from Rockstar without a physical disc version [1, 3, 4, 2].