It's because games are more like media than software from a consumption perspective. People want to watch a movie while it's still new, which is why theaters w

It's because games are more like media than software from a consumption perspective. People want to watch a movie while it's still new, which is why theaters want up front exclusivity. Songs are "hot" for a while. TV shows are better when you're watching it around the same time as a lot of other people. Sure you can watch Breaking Bad for the first time right now, enjoy it, and have some good conversation about it with a few people. But it was different when every week half of your office or classroom was talking about the latest episode. I still don't recommend buying games on launch date most of the time because of the current state of the industry. But it makes sense to me why people do it.