Take-Two Defends GTA6's Disc-Free Release and Bets on Cloud Gaming, Splitting Players

Why This Topic Landed in Japan

Attachment to physical packaging, secondhand resale, and ownership collided with the appeal of convenience and higher publisher margins, splitting Japanese gamers down the middle over what the future of console gaming looks like. Take-Two president Karl Slatoff defended Grand Theft Auto VI shipping without a physical disc in a post-earnings Q&A, noting that more than 90% of the business is digital and that "for big games in particular, discs aren't very meaningful to consumers" while digital is "far more convenient." CEO Strauss Zelnick added that rising hardware prices are not a headwind — thanks to strong titles like GTA and NBA — and predicted low-latency cloud gaming would reach commercial mainstream within three years, greatly expanding the effective install base. Capcom reinforced the sense that the trend is settled when, at an August 6, 2026 earnings call, it said digital is about 90% of sales and it does not expect much impact from a shrinking disc market (projecting a 95.4% digital mix for fiscal 2027). One clarification: "abolishing physical discs" here means shipping the box with a download code rather than a disc, not a confirmed end to physical editions altogether.

Key Reaction Themes

• Worries about ownership and preservation — "Don't take choices away from users," and fears that going fully digital leaves you unsure when a service might shut down.
• Appreciation for convenience and publisher support — Views that data loads faster and that higher margins could feed back into game quality.
• Skepticism about cloud gaming — "Three years is too soon," and reminders that good connection speeds exist only in parts of the developed world.

What Japanese Netizens Are Saying

Take-Two's president defends GTA6 without a disc

Reactions to the president's remark that digital is "far more convenient."

Sources: GameSpark

Comments:

• "The complete version will be on Switch 2."
• "Waiting for the Switch 2 version."
• "Sony: 'Do it.' Take-Two: 'Yes, sir...'"
• "Reading data is faster than reading a physical disc — overwhelmingly more convenient."
• "Dropping discs → higher publisher margins → more financial breathing room → better game quality, so I'm all for dropping discs."
• "I only buy on PC anyway."
• "Well, the previous article already said over 90% of sales are digital, lol."
• "Even if it's a matter of domestic law, selling codes with an expiration date is rough... Set users aside — the downside for retailers is too big."
• "Defense or not, a disc is basically meaningless now without an internet connection."
• "Right? And yet Nintendo has been doing it since the DS days, lol."

The CEO's "cloud gaming goes mainstream within three years" prediction

Reactions to the CEO saying hardware prices aren't a problem and betting on low-latency cloud.

Sources: WCCFtech

Comments:

• "The PS6 is finished."
• "They're cozying up to the Switch 2."
• "Take-Two of GTA6 fame just declared the PS6 unnecessary, lol."
• "Is cloud gaming really that good?"
• "Paying monthly for cloud might actually be better for users on electricity, heat, space, and price."
• "I've never tried it, but can you suspend or pause cloud streaming?"
• "The people saying PS is finished are the ones who don't know PlayStation already offers that service, lol."
• "Three years feels too soon, but it'll end up that way eventually — and in the end whoever has good titles wins."
• "Connection speeds that good exist only in parts of developed countries."
• "The Switch already has cloud gaming — with barriers, mind you."

Capcom's "digital is about 90%" earnings answer

Reactions to Capcom saying it doesn't expect much impact from a shrinking disc market.

Sources: Yahoo! news

Comments:

• "Capcom's biggest sales come from Steam anyway."
• "Turning your own side into an outside enemy in an internal squabble is a sign of collapse, isn't it?"
• "They just presented objective data — what are you even talking about?"
• "But I want to buy games used."
• "If it goes digital-only, shouldn't they be able to make it cheaper?"
• "Personally, the PlayStation market is fine existing because it has discs, but if it goes fully digital I never know when service will end, so I'll move to a PC platform like Steam."
• "Don't take choices away from users."
• "This figure also includes titles never sold on disc at all — it's not a comparison limited to titles released on both disc and digital, so of course the ratio comes out like this."
• "Capcom, the king of price cuts, drops to under 2,000 yen on sale within two years anyway."