Why GTA 6 will launch without a disc - and what it means for gamers

Why GTA 6 will launch without a disc - and what it means for gamersImage source, Rockstar GamesImage caption, Rockstar revealed that the price of GTA 6 will be £70 for a standard edition and £90 for its more premium editionByLaura CressTechnology reporterPublished57 minutes agoOnce, video games came with lots of physical goodies, such as guides, maps and manuals.Those days are mostly gone, but gamers have, up to now, usually been able to rely on one thing they could literally get their hands on - a disc.But when pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto 6 went live on Wednesday, developer Rockstar said customers who opted for the physical edition would get a box that just contained a code for a digital download instead.It's not the first time a physical edition has launched this way.But if the makers of one of the biggest franchises in entertainment history has decided to follow suit, does that mean the disc is dead? And what does that say about game ownership in the digital age?Unacceptable - or inevitable?"My initial reaction was one of confusion and shock," Ben, a UK-based 24-year-old gamer who covers GTA news on social media, told me following the announcement.In an interview with Variety, external in February, Strauss Zelnick, the chief executive of Take-Two, Rockstar's parent company, had said a digital-only launch was "not the plan".Ben said this led many to hope the physical disc would be available at launch too - and for more than sentimental reasons."An important benefit of owning a disc is that you can lend the game to a friend or sell it later," he said.Online retailers selling the physical edition have stated that, as with other digital game codes, the one being offered for GTA 6 is single-use and will become invalid after it is redeemed.Image source, Rockstar GamesImage caption, GTA 6 is set in a fictional US state called Leonida, which is Rockstar's version of FloridaDigital sales now account for the vast majority of...