Episode 593 Early Access: GTA 6 Pricing Is Fair and EMPULSE Is Dead on Arrival

GTA 6 pre-orders are live, the price is confirmed, and the internet is melting down — so naturally that's the whole episode. Raz and Jake break down the $80 standard / $100 Ultimate pricing, the "physical copy" that's really just a download code in a box with no disc, and whether you're actually losing anything (spoiler: lending to your buddies, and not much else). Then it's the free-market case for why $80 is eminently fair, the cost-per-hour argument that makes GTA the cheapest entertainment on Earth, and the uncomfortable truth that the loudest complainers have already pre-ordered. Then, meanwhile: EMPULSE. The $15 Titanfall-like from the Splitgate devs launched into early access with no store, no battle pass, and no microtransactions — and the guys explain, with the utmost confidence and zero gameplay watched, exactly why it's dead on arrival. Paint bombs included. Plus: 50 million GTA 6 pre-orders, companies closing on launch day, and a $1,000 bet on EMPULSE failing inside three months.

0:00 — Intro & "we have no likes" cold open

1:34 — GTA 6 pre-orders are live: $80 standard, $100 Ultimate

2:58 — The "code in a box": a physical copy with no disc

4:47 — Is the disc even a loss? Lending, Blockbuster, PS2 days

9:00 — Servers, Stop Killing Games & whether discs matter anymore

12:17 — Onto pricing: is $80 fair? "That person does not exist"

15:31 — The $100 Ultimate Edition: scam or just a menu?

19:22 — Does $80 GTA give every other studio license to charge $80?

23:00 — Big Macs, Netflix & the "communists in our comments" tangent

31:00 — Cost-per-hour: video games are the cheapest entertainment on Earth

34:22 — The one scummy thing: PC release delayed behind console

39:59 — Back to physical ownership: resale, lending, longevity

43:13 — Did GTA kill the disc? No — it was already dead

1:00:30 — Why no disc, really: anti-leak vs. just cheaper (part 2)

1:05:20 — Ultimate Edition breakdown: tattoos, car finds, gang raid

1:06:30 — Day-one Ultimate content: cut from the base game?

1:06:40 — "We're going to pre-order anyway, aren't we?"

1:09:54 — Is GTA review-proof? Outrage-proof? The Kotaku prediction

1:11:06 — Vote with your wallet & why a boycott is inconceivable

1:18:40 — 50M pre-orders, $4B, companies closing on launch day

1:11:06 — MEANWHILE: EMPULSE, the $15 Splitgate-devs shooter

1:13:01 — "This game will fail" — the arena shooter genre is dead

1:18:10 — No store, no battle pass, no microtransactions = $60k revenue

1:23:31 — "60 grand, baby" & the $1,000 bet it fails in 3 months

1:30:20 — GTA vs EMPULSE juxtaposition & "consumer-friendly?" rebuttal

1:32:31 — Announcements: bonus eps, Patreon, shoutouts, sign-off