i can't see how a digital copy can cost as much as the physical one when you get a disc, a box, and all added manufacturing/transport costs associated with, and even with that, big retailers always sell big games for less than the full price we see on the PS store, because they can order tens of thousands of copies at launch.
Since i'm not a rich person, what could convince me to buy a game on the PS store at 69€ when the same physical game is available at a store near me for less than 60€ ?
And what's Sony reason to sell the digital game at such a high price ?
I could even go deeper and say that i could resell the game shortly after completion for like 30€ if it's a big seller.
Most games sell the most at launch, so the big retailers might have some discounts for large bulk buys. But its also that they are willing to get less margin per unit to make sure they sell most of their stock. Having CoD2019 in stock or on the shelve for a year is basically money out the window. So they make a gamble, its their business modell.
I have no idea what a disc+box+distribution costs, but whatever it is, its not much per unit. The major costs are in development and advertising, but that does not hinge on it being physical or digital.
But if you want to go digital, there are some costs in there that might be higher per unit and other parts that are lower.
But cost you did not have to cover with physical, is infrastructure like datacenter hosting, bandwidth, storage, server hardware, maintenance of these servers etc, payment suppliers fees, CDN costs, storefront development/upkeep etc
Upside is you do not have to contend with stock rotation/return and the long tail is probably more profitable etc
And as Shifty said, its a free market business modell, its not like somebody is overcharging you for air. Its a voluntary opt-in, like it or not, the only reason Sony el al actually do this, is to make money.
This is where we as consumers vote with our wallets, we do not buy stuff that we think is overpriced, your challenge is that you feel the value you get for your money, is less than most other it seems, ref my earlier post about 80% of Capcom sales are digital.
That's free market economics for you. You charge as much as people are willing to pay to maximise profit margins. If no-one bought games at those prices, they wouldn't be listed at those prices.
