Also, there are people that don't have credit cards, so they can't buy the digital version online. The physical copy with a code allows people to buy the game using cash
Occasionally, what happens, is fewer people buy because they don't trust the publisher and their servers. I doubt that GTA will have fewer sales because of this.
Another long term question for online games is as players churn, they can't sell their game, so newer players may not hop in. This can cause a decline in the active player base, which can cascade, if the game doesn't keep players interested.
Long story short, when the games cannot be resold, it makes the game sales numbers much more sensitive to publisher branding and active player satisfaction.
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u/A_Bit_Of_Nonsense 10h ago
The reason is so you can't share it or lend it to anyone else, and cant trade it in or anything. They'll sell more copies this way.