It’s not just this game. Most digital games are more expensive. Its about 5 euros more expensive where I live.
The biggest difference, is that when you buy digital, you’re just a single person buying more or less directly from the publisher. Steam/Epic/etc. might be between that, but these distribution platforms simply offer the publisher a way to hand out digital licenses through their storefront and little else. As important as Steam might be, they’re very hands-off and it’s just little old you and the publisher of the game.
When you buy physical, you’re buying it from a brick and mortar distributor, who has bought their physical, finite amount of copies from the publisher in bulk. Economies of scale apply, both the publisher and distributor are companies out for profit and a brick and mortar distributor is WAY more assertive than a digital distributor like Steam. There’s an amount of bargaining involved and the physical distributor can get their copies for a lower price. They play these savings down to the customer, and this is why physical copies are cheaper for you.
You’d think that would mean a publisher would rather sell you digital copies directly through Steam and avoid physical all together, but Publishers still have a vested interest in keeping Brick and Mortar stores alive, which is another reason publishers make physical copies cheaper.
Parents and Grandparents buying the latest Call of Duty for their screaming toddlers still happens mostly in physical stores. Seeing the latest Triple-A titles next to the groceries is wonderful advertisement and the majority of mainstream gamers (console plebs, nacho & Mountain Dew guzzling fratboys, the blue collar worker who is tired and just wants some mindless entertainment to unwind) still pick up the disc there.
And yes, if you’re reading this, then you’re the small 10% of gamers who are actually informed, probably know the difference between an Electronic Arts and a CDProject Red, or remember a time before live-services and micro transactions. The mainstream publishers have no trouble taxing you for that by pricing digital higher.
As for why Cyberpunk in particular is more expensive digitally? Well, CDPR is still a publisher and they’d be daft not to. Besides, Brick and Mortar stores still expect preferential treatment. If CDPR were to price their digital version lower, then the Brick and Mortar stores would expect their physical copies to be cheaper still. If not, then they won’t put Cyberpunk on the front windows.
Sure Cyberpunk is popular... but only amongst the informed minority. If CDPR wants mainstream success, then they need the screaming toddlers, doting grandparents, frat boys and blue collar workers to get their nacho encrusted digits to reach it.
Ever since CDPR has begun gunning for a bigger share of the market, the community here has reached the begrudging understanding that certain sacrifices need to be made, including their PR machine not necessarily being geared towards us.
On the flip side: if you buy Cyberpunk 2077 digitally - especially from GOG.com , then most of your money will be going directly to CDPR.
