God of War Laufey’s Collector Edition Continues a Frustrating Trend

After Sony Spain accidentally posted the collector’s box for God of War Laufey early, the company revealed the U.S. edition of the bundle. Going for $149.99, the box includes three collector’s items: a Faye statue, a 51-card Oracle deck, and a mini artbook. Despite the hefty price, there’s a notable exclusion: this collector’s edition doesn’t include a disc or digital download code for the game. "God of War Laufey game sold separately," the fine print at the bottom reads.

While it seems a bit baffling that a collector’s edition for a video game wouldn’t include said video game, Sony isn’t the first company to pull this trick. Rockstar recently announced a $399.99 collector’s box for Grand Theft Auto 6 that similarly doesn’t include the game, instead being stuffed with merch based on a fictional show from the thing we haven’t played yet. It includes sunglasses, hats, shot glasses, and other paraphernalia, which frankly doesn’t seem to justify nearly $400.

In defense of Laufey’s collector's edition, resin statues can be pretty pricey, coming in at the $50 to $200 range for ones that seem to be similar in size to the "Light-Up Faye Statue” (although it’s difficult to say for sure, since the product page doesn’t give an exact measurement for some reason). In the Oracle deck, "Stunning bespoke illustrations adorn each card with meaning inspired by Faye’s journey." As for the Mini Artbook, the product description promises "incredible concept art that shaped the world of God of War Laufey." The bundle releases on Feb. 16, 2027, alongside the game.

What is driving this new trend?

Between Grand Theft Auto 6 and God of War Laufey, these “collector’s boxes” seem tied to a recent uptick in fandom-driven collector culture, as prices for trading cards and other nerd-culture staples on secondary markets boom. One notable overlap is that Rockstar and Sony have come under fire for ditching support for physical games. “Physical” copies of Grand Theft Auto 6 won’t include discs, and will instead come with a download code in a case.

Laufey will have a physical release with a disc, but Sony recently announced its controversial decision to stop producing physical copies of its games starting in 2028. These collector’s boxes feel like a preview of an all-digital future where instead of these collector’s editions being centered around a physical game case and disc, they are there to sell you (probably overpriced) trinkets. It’s a bit bleak.