[ymolodtsov]

That's very simplistic. They also earn money on sales, both first-party and third-party games, so they need a large audience.

[motbus3]

Not really... They can control direct sales by controlling discounts.

See what is happening on all major store chains. They have a original price that is frequently discounted so they don't say they are increasing prices.

See Sony PS store. Technically they have same price but personalised discounts.