The difference is not between digital media and hard copies, but rather having the full ownership of the software so you can have a backup install and play at a

The difference is not between digital media and hard copies, but rather having the full ownership of the software so you can have a backup install and play at any point in the future (backwards compatibility aside). This also has to do with modding, which is a big part of many games and it's how lots of genres have been created from Battle Royale to MOBA (i.e. DOTA). Games as a service can work with some genres but overall it's just large AAA companies running out of creative resources.