Capcom says physical games dying won't hurt them, and honestly with GTA 6 going code-in-box I'm not surprised

Saw this over on GameSpot and it got me thinking about where we're headed with GTA 6. Capcom basically shrugged off the whole "physical games are dying" panic, saying about 90% of their unit sales are already digital so they don't expect much impact from Sony killing off disc production in 2028.

"Approximately 90% of our unit sales are digital. We do not anticipate a significant impact at this time."

That's a massive number. And they're not alone. Nintendo's latest earnings show digital made up 61.5% of their software sales last quarter, up from 59.3% a year ago. EA is at 81% digital. The trend is pretty undeniable at this point.

What really hit me though is the GTA 6 connection. We already know the physical release is just a box with a download code inside. No disc. So Rockstar is fully leaning into this too, and honestly, with numbers like these, why wouldn't they?

I still remember lining up at midnight for GTA V, getting that thick case with the map and the install discs. Felt like an event. Now we'll get a code in a box and a pre-load a few days before launch. It's just different.

But I get it. The industry is moving on. Sony's not even making discs after 2028. By the time GTA 6 drops in November, the writing's already on the wall. Capcom's not sweating it, and I doubt Rockstar is either.

Source: GameSpot · Curated content.

I wonder if code-in-box copies might trigger weird install loops or authentication hiccups. Seems like a messy launch-day edge case.

weird install loops or authentication hiccups

That's the real risk. No disc means no offline fallback if servers buckle on day one. You're losing a backup plan.

Code-in-box is just slower digital with extra plastic. Cut the middleman, preload early, and run your own verification. Cleaner op.