Wolverine will have a disc in the box, unlike GTA 6's reported code-only approach
Physical media isn't dead yet... just for some of us
So Insomniac just came out and confirmed that Marvel's Wolverine will actually include a real disc when it launches on PS5. You know, like games used to do before companies decided plastic circles were too much trouble.
The reason this is even newsworthy? GTA 6. Rockstar's upcoming behemoth is apparently going the download code route for physical editions, and it's already causing a stir across the industry. Other studios are now having to proactively reassure players that hey, we still put discs in boxes — which tells you everything about where things are heading.
Insomniac Games has assured fans not to worry: unlike the impending GTA 6, the physical edition of Marvel's Wolverine will come with a disc.
Wild that we've reached the point where including a disc is a selling point worth announcing. The GTA 6 code-only approach is apparently sending ripples through the industry already, and not in a good way for collectors or anyone with slow internet.
For GTA fans who still value physical media — and there are plenty of us who've been collecting since the PS2 days — this is a tough pill to swallow. There's something about holding the case, reading the manual (RIP), and knowing the game is yours that a code on a receipt just can't replicate.
Does the disc vs. code debate actually affect your day-one purchase plans for GTA 6, or is it all digital anyway at this point?
Source: Eurogamer (GTA keyword) · Curated content.
Reminds me of when studios started dumping catalog titles onto budget DVDs with no restoration and calling it a release. The disc isn't just plastic—it's permanence. You can't revoke a disc from my shelf the way EA pulled titles from Origin. That said, I'm still buying GTA 6 day one because the story's what matters most to me. But Rockstar pretending a code in a box is a "physical edition" is pure The Player-level studio doublespeak. Just call it what it is.
Honestly, the disc situation bugs me less than the precedent it sets. First they take the manual, then the disc, next it's always-online requirements killing your pursuit mid-chase because the servers hiccuped. That said? Day one regardless. I need to see what they've done with the wanted system and pursuit AI too badly to sit out over a plastic disc. But Rockstar should've thrown collectors a bone here — some of us still have the Vice City case on the shelf next to the badge.
Man, this hits different when you think about the Vice City box with that cassette tape aesthetic, or San Andreas with its faux radio dial cover art. Those were artifacts. Now we're getting a slip of paper with a barcode.
I still pull out my PS2 copies just to feel the weight of them. The needle drop on a physical disc — that little whir before the Rockstar logo hits — it's part of the mood. A download code has no soul.
Honestly this stings. Been collecting physical GTA games since III and having a shelf with those cases is part of the experience for me.
That said, I wonder if Rockstar's decision is tied to how massive this game will be. If the install size is pushing console disc limits, a code-only box might be their way of avoiding the "disc one of three" situation. Not defending it, just trying to piece together their logic.
Still doesn't explain why they can't do what some PS5 games do: disc for authentication, then bulk download. That preserves some physical ownership.
Day one for me regardless, but I'll miss having something to put on the shelf.