Business · Companies · 4 hrs ago
Take-Two CEO says physical games will survive as a small market
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick says physical video games will not disappear entirely, but expects them to become a very small part of the market.
He compared physical games to vinyl records, which still sell even though most music is streamed.
Take-Two says 98% of its business is already digital.
Grand Theft Auto 6, made by Take-Two-owned Rockstar, is set to launch on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, with no game disc announced.
Stores will offer a code-in-a-box version, while the game’s soundtrack is also planned for CD and vinyl.
Whether GTA 6 gets a disc release later remains undecided; Zelnick said such decisions are up to Rockstar.
The shift matters because physical game sales are already a small share of spending, and PlayStation game discs are due to end in 2028.
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said physical video games will remain available but become a very small part of the business.
He compared physical games to vinyl records, which retain a market despite the growth of digital music.
Take-Two gets 98% of its current business from digital sales, according to Zelnick.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is set to launch without a disc version, though it will be sold in stores as a code-in-a-box.
Sony is expected to stop making PlayStation game discs in 2028, while Nintendo has said it does not plan to abandon physical games during the Switch 2 era.
- Who
- Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two Interactive.
- What
- He said physical games will persist but become a very small part of the business.
- When
- He made the remarks in an interview published on November 12, 2026.
- Where
- In an interview with The Game Business.
- Why
- He compared physical games with vinyl records and said Take-Two’s business is already 98% digital.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Zelnick said he predicted digital distribution would account for well over 90% of the business.
Physical game sales in the United States reached a 30-year low of $1.5 billion, according to Circana.
GameSpot and Kotaku published reports on Zelnick’s remarks about the future of physical games.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is scheduled to launch for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Sony is expected to stop making PlayStation game discs.
- Take-Two CEO
- Strauss Zelnick
- Take-Two digital business
- 98% of its business, according to Zelnick
- U.S. physical game sales in 2025
- $1.5 billion, a 30-year low
- Grand Theft Auto 6 launch
- November 19, 2026, for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S
- Sony PlayStation discs
- Expected to be discontinued in 2028
2 sources
What people are saying
Will there always be some physical business? Yes, in the same way that there’s still a vinyl business in recorded music. But it’s going to be a very small part of the business.
I predicted that digital distribution would be well over 90 percent of the business more than 10 years ago.
there will “always be some physical business” for gaming, but it will be a “very small part of the business.