Activision inadvertently set off a drama bomb when marketing for Spyro Reignited Trilogy. Paired with the box art reveal came with some fine print that many looking forward to the game aren’t happy about. While previous Activision-published remake trilogy Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy has all the core content on the disc, that won’t be the case with Spyro .
The box art itself says, “required content download.” But an ad for the game also says, “Games 2 and 3 require download via internet.” So some percentage, if not the full content, of the second and third Spyro games aren’t on the disc and require a day one download to function. This has caused a bit of a minor uproar in the gaming community, as ownership rights and what is or isn’t on a physical disc continue to be an ongoing hot topic.
Earlier, there was some confusion about what this download meant and whether the games were tied to vouchers as a DRM-like move or if the games are separate DLC add-ons. Activision issued a response to the matter, implying this download takes the form of a software update.
Speculation suggests the cause is the games not being finished in time for the release date, so the decision was made to wrap things up as an update, rather than delaying the game and recertifying for retail. That hasn’t been confirmed of course, but it makes logistical sense.
Source: PlayStation Lifestyle