Reposting this post from a topic on reddit.
The Trilogy has already gone Gold (meaning they can't make any changes to it) and games 2 and 3 still need some polishing. So instead of delaying the entire Trilogy and making people wait longer they decided to release a patch that will make 2 and 3 playable on release. They will then release another physical version of the game later on with all the updates installed (I believe they did this with N Sane Trilogy).
I'm not saying this is the truth but I think it's definitely a possibility. So this whole situation is not Activision purposely trying to screw people over. They just want people to be able to play it on September 21st.
Also, from another topic
So, Activision added the dreaded line, "Game 2 and 3 require download via internet" to the Reignited site, with literally no other information. Naturally, we were confused, nervous, angry, whatever. There was a definite.. Response.
And, as of yet, Activision have yet to give a particularly clear response to being questioned, either. To quote an Acti PR rep,
The global launch date of Spyro Reignited Trilogy is Sept. 21; and we’re excited for fans to play all three reignited games on that day. As with most games today, downloading an update after purchase is quite common. The language on packaging and on the web is to let players know the requirements for Spyro Reignited Trilogy.
This.. Doesn't exactly clear things up, and people are still at odds as to whether or not 2 and 3 will be seperately downloadable or just patched in. I think I have the answer, however. Again, I think I do. I'm not pretending I'm definitely correct here.
Spyro Reignited Trilogy is a collection of three full games. We already know this, of course. It's obvious, it's in the name. We as consumers can understand that it is three games in one, and Activision knows what it's promising.
Let's say that perhaps the sequels weren't quite ready in time to be pressed onto the disc in tip-top, gold, perfect states. Let's imagine that they're ON the disc, but just incomplete, missing a line or two of code to unlock them and update them, ready to be accessed and played. It doesn't mean that the games will be delayed, because despite delaying being a good thing for games that need extra time, it's pretty bad for a company's image.. And their immediate profits. A big publisher like Activision wouldn't like to delay their game. Less money when they expect it, mainly. So, they come to a realisation: The game's being prepped to be pressed to disc (going "gold") and 2 and 3 just need a bit more polish. The solution? A day one patch that allows the games to be played. Without the patch, they can't be played. Simple.
But, there's a catch. Say someone has very limited internet usage.. Or even no internet at all. If they get the game and find they need a patch for 2/3rds of the game with 0 warning, that's false advertising! It's no longer Spyro Reignited Trilogy, it's Spyro Reignited One Single Game But Never Mind, Thanks For The $40. If Acti had made it a day one patch without informing people, they could be sued for false advertising.
So, they just put a little warning on the website. "Games 2 and 3 require download via internet." Of course, this is pretty badly phrased, but I believe it's a patch to fix and unlock 2 and 3.
Think about it this way: It's 2020. You want to buy Spyro Reignited for your PS4, but you missed it the first time round, so you buy it second hand. You put it into your console, and-- disaster. No code. You only have one game.
This **** won't fly. Nobody would let Activision get away with that. A PATCH, however, is not some one-time-use code. It can be downloaded at will, for free.
You may say, "but Bayonetta 1 and 2 on Switch comes with a code for Bayo 1!" or some similar case. That's true, it does.
But it also has Bayo 1 and 2 available for SEPARATE digital purchase on the eshop.
Why would Activision bother with a digital version of Reignited Trilogy, pre-orderable right now, if they'd just put the games up separately for late-adopters to the trilogy? And they'd HAVE to put them up separately if 2 and 3 had to be fully downloadable games. It's not a maybe, it's an absolute HAVE to, or else RT would be a total one-and-done game, second hand would be useless.
Activision is many things: not very consumer friendly, focused on money (well, all companies are) but despite any jokes or opinions, Activision isn't stupid.
N Sane sold INCREDIBLY well. Spyro is already exceeding their pre-order expectations AFTER N SANE SOLD INCREDIBLY WELL. They're not going to scupper Spyro by making it so anti-consumer with a one-time use code to download 2 and 3.
Reignited Trilogy on the digital storefront is not advertised as a bundle of three separate digital games. Because, well, it isn't. It's one game with three games inside it. What would be the point of having two versions of the game available digitally (the trilogy and the three games separately, which Acti would need to offer if 2 and 3 were tied to download codes?)
TL

R I think it's a patch, and the message is there on the box and the site so that people won't chase legal action over a trilogy only having one unlocked game if they have slow/no internet. Making 2 and 3 one-time downloads via a code would kill second-hand sales, leave an awful taste in consumers mouths, require all 3 games to be purchasable separately online so people could still get 2 and 3 (unlikely considering the trilogy is available for digital pre-order and isn't advertised as a bundle of three separate digital games), and more importantly, be incredibly stupid. Too stupid for Activision to do after the incredible success of N Sane.