The timing illustrates the problems with a game sales model that still relies in part on physical releases. Companies frequently have to declare titles finished weeks or months in advance of launch to ensure there are boxed copies, but games aren't necessarily ready by that point. It can be tempting to simply issue a gigantic launch day patch instead of delaying the release to be sure that everyone can start playing right away. And stores aren't entirely off the hook, either. While GAME's move is considerate, it comes because retail chains tend to demand that physical versions launch alongside their digital counterparts.

The rise of these enormous patches has ramifications beyond lengthy wait times, too. If you're using a capped internet service plan, you might risk running over your cap (or waiting until the next month) just to get a game that's ready to play, even if you bought the disc version to avoid a large download. There will also be some users who have connections fast enough to play, but slow enough that 50GB could take several hours or more. Games like Black Ops 4 may be off-limits to certain players simply because they don't have the luxuries of unlimited data or truly fast broadband.