ex-xbox guy says sony waited for rockstar to go digital first, now he's worried about playstation's all-digital future

So I was reading this GamesRadar piece where a founding Xbox member (they don't name him in the snippet but it's probably Ed Fries) basically said Sony held back on going all-digital until Rockstar made a move. Like they were waiting to see how GTA would handle it before committing. And now that they're pushing discless consoles and digital storefronts hard, he's warning that it's a bad road.

His point: digital is convenient until the platform holder decides you've had enough. He trusts Steam because Valve's built that trust over decades, but he doesn't feel the same about PlayStation. If your whole library is digital and Sony decides to ban your account or shut down servers, poof. Gone.

This hits different when you think about GTA 6. We're all gonna be sinking hundreds of hours into Leonida, maybe buying shark cards or whatever the new version is. If Sony's ecosystem is the only way to play on console and they lock things down even more, that's a little scary. I've already got friends who lost access to digital games because of account issues.

I'm still getting the disc version of my PS5 for GTA 6, even if it's just a key on a disc. At least I can resell it or lend it. But the article makes you wonder: if Rockstar had gone digital-only from the start, would Sony have followed even faster?

What's your plan for GTA 6 — physical disc or digital? And do you trust Sony to keep your library safe long-term?

Source: GamesRadar+ · Curated content.

I'm absolutely going disc! There's nothing like that first boot-up when the Wave 103 vibe hits. I still have my original Vice City case on the shelf next to the stereo. Digital is fine for a quick spin, but I want something I can hold. That Vintage Vice City Pack bonus doesn't hurt either!