Sony’s announcement at the beginning of July caused quite a stir. There was another announcement, too: the shutdown of the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita PS Stores.
Three and a half weeks have passed since Sony announced that it would cease production of physical disc-based games for PlayStation consoles in January 2028. The decision continues to spark heated debates among gamers, with countless comments in support of discs appearing on Sony’s social media platforms. This week, Houser, a co-founder of Rockstar Games who left the company in early 2020 after writing and producing its biggest hits, including Grand Theft Auto III–V, the two Red Dead Redemption games, Bully, and Max Payne 3, attended San Diego Comic-Con to promote his current company, Absurd Ventures.
During a conversation with IGN, Houser and Lazlow Jones, a former writer and host for the Grand Theft Auto radio stations who left Rockstar in 2020 and joined Absurd Ventures with Houser, were asked for their opinions on the ongoing debate about physical media and whether it’s important to them that their games be released on disc. Houser replied that, while he isn’t personally enthusiastic about games being released on disc, he believes it should remain an option for those to whom it matters.
“I don’t know that I care, but if people want that, I think companies should provide it. I also think the ability to update games has been really useful for the quality of games, despite people’s criticisms of digital releases. I love physical media. I think everyone does,” Houser said.
Jones said he appreciates holding a physical product, but also values the convenience of digital editions. He noted that the situation is different for other media, such as comic books. Absurd Ventures is working on the American Caper comic book series. According to Jones, working on a physical comic book is particularly satisfying after spending so much time working with the digital medium of video games.
“I mean, we all have that feeling when we get a copy and put the disc in the console. But I also have to say, I really like being at the airport and thinking, ‘Oh, cool. I can download some quick games to my Steam Deck for this 12-hour flight.’ That’s what’s been interesting. We’ve worked together in digital for many years, so making a physical comic book is a different creative process. It’s also fulfilling to have a physical product and say, ‘Look, we made something,'” Jones added.
In another part of the conversation, Houser mentioned the two games that Absurd Ventures is currently working on. He explained that both are open-world games. According to Houser, one game is a comedic action-adventure game, while the other will be decidedly less comedic.
Source: VGC
