Dan Houser Tells IGN Sony Should Still Sell PS Discs Despite 2028 Cutoff
Former Rockstar Games writer-producer Dan Houser has weighed in on the physical media debate rocking PlayStation, telling IGN at San Diego Comic-Con 2026 that he personally doesn’t mind whether games ship on disc, but that publishers should keep the option alive for fans who do. The comments arrived weeks after Sony confirmed it will stop manufacturing physical discs for new PlayStation games from January 2028, a decision that has drawn sustained backlash from collectors and continues to fuel debate months later.
Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser told IGN at San Diego Comic-Con 2026 that publishers “should provide” disc-based releases as long as customers still want them. Pressed on whether he cared about seeing his own projects released on physical formats, he said, “I don’t know that I care, but if people want that, I think companies should provide it.” He followed that up bluntly: “But I don’t know that I personally care.”
Houser Argues Patches Have Improved Game Quality
Houser didn’t stop at defending consumer choice. He went further to argue that digital distribution has been a net positive for the craft itself, saying “the ability to update games – as critical as people are of digital releases – the ability to update and fix problems in games has been really useful for the quality of games.” The framing is notable: rather than rejecting Sony’s direction outright, Houser’s point reads as an argument about consumer demand rather than ownership or preservation, and Sony’s own justification for winding down disc production is demand.
Houser’s history in the industry gives the comments extra weight. He co-founded Rockstar Games and then left in early 2020, having written and produced its biggest games including Grand Theft Auto 3-5, Red Dead Redemption 1 and 2, Bully and Max Payne 3. He now runs Absurd Ventures, the multimedia studio he attended Comic-Con to promote.
Lazlow Jones Sides With Digital Convenience at the Airport
Houser wasn’t alone on the panel. Houser and Lazlow Jones – the former GTA radio station writer and presenter who left Rockstar in 2020 before joining Absurd Ventures with Houser – were asked their views on the physical media debate, and whether they cared about seeing their games released on discs. Jones acknowledged the nostalgic pull of a disc but leaned toward digital convenience, telling IGN, “We all have that sort of feeling when you get that copy, and you put the disc in the console, but I also have to say I really like being at the airport and going, ‘Oh, cool. I can download some quick games to my Steam Deck for this 12-hour flight.'”
Interestingly, Houser’s warmest words for physical media weren’t about games at all. “I love physical media,” Houser added, pointing to the latest issue of American Caper, implying he specifically meant books, “I think everyone does.” The comment ties back to his current work at Absurd Ventures, which is building out comics alongside its game projects.
Sony’s January 2028 Disc Cutoff Still Fuels Backlash
The wider context is the source of Houser’s remarks in the first place. Beginning in 2028, Sony will stop offering disc production for new PlayStation games while continuing to fulfill publisher orders for older PS4 and PS5 titles that already have physical editions. The move has drawn vocal criticism from consumers, which had not fully waned four weeks later, as of late July 2026.
That criticism has since crystallised into organised action, with fans planning to boycott PlayStation purchases for a stretch in late August in protest of the cutoff.
Read also: PS5 “Blackout” Protest Set for Aug 23-30 Over Sony’s 2028 Disc Cutoff
GTA 6 Itself Skips a True Physical Release
The irony hanging over the discussion is that Rockstar’s own flagship, GTA 6, is arriving without a genuine disc edition. The $99.99 Ultimate Edition is available only digitally, while the Standard Edition technically has a physical option, but only in the form of a download code in a box. Rockstar has not yet clarified whether a true physical edition may arrive after launch.
Sony’s planned January 2028 cutoff leaves GTA 6 with a narrow window of opportunity to get a physical PlayStation release should Rockstar change course. For a series that has historically leaned on collector’s editions and shelf presence, the shift underscores how far the industry’s biggest publishers have already moved toward digital-first thinking, even as their own executives publicly defend the disc as an option worth preserving.
Absurd Ventures’ Next Games Remain Unannounced
Beyond the disc debate, Houser used the Comic-Con appearance to confirm early details of his post-Rockstar output. Jones and Houser are now both working at Absurd Ventures, a company making multiple multimedia projects, including an upcoming AAA open-world game and a new comic book. No release windows or platforms were disclosed, but the studio’s dual focus on games and print media explains why Houser’s strongest physical-media enthusiasm was reserved for paper rather than plastic.
For Australian and New Zealand collectors who have long paid a premium for imported physical editions, the debate carries extra stakes: any Sony-mandated shift to digital-only releases from 2028 would remove one of the few remaining ways regional buyers could shop around for cheaper overseas discs, making Houser’s “let the market decide” stance a live question for the region’s retailers as much as its players.
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