Why even sell a physical box if it has absolutely no benefit over a digital download? I wonder if it's at all driven by desire to trick people who want a physical disk copy (ie, a copy that can be resold or traded)?

Given that people generally expect physical copies to have a disk (at least for console games), it feels like false advertising.

I think at least part of it is to let people buy with cash or store credit though I do wish they made it more like a branded gift card or something because that would be less waste