GTA V to Launch As Digital Only Release?
GTA V will be unveiled for the first time tomorrow when Rockstar takes the wraps off the game's first trailer. It's unclear just how much information on the game will be provided, but one analyst believes the developer will be taking a bold step forward in advancing the digital market by making GTA V download only.
In a new report from Newzoo covering DLC, Pre-Owned and Digital Distribution, CEO Peter Warman commented, "There are a lot of reasons why publishers are pushing towards digital distribution of triple A games. Speaking out loud might harm the relationship with retail partners, but the benefits have become too large to remain silent about the desire to go completely digital. The ultimate objective being to launch games faster, create continuous revenues on a title and simply to make more money. Will retail disappear from the picture? Of course not. Retail will always remain an important channel to promote and distribute games. Retail has a strong hand to play when it comes to eyeballs and… boxes make a nice gift. Boxed games will not disappear, but what is in the box will. That is why the boxed GTA V version will contain a collectible piece of merchandise and a download code. No disc."
IndustryGamers does believe the industry is headed in a digital direction, but we think it's actually very unlikely that Rockstar would choose to go download only for GTA V. In fact, almost 12 million of the 28 million Xbox 360s sold in the U.S. have either a 4Gb hard drive or a 20Gb hard drive. So, Take-Two would be eliminating a huge part of their potential audience.