It's been a dark day for the games industry, with almost 2000 employees being forced to leave their jobs at Xbox Game Studios, as well as Blizzard CEO Mike Ybarra stepping down from his role. A direct effect of the over-employment that occurred during Covid but also a reflection of the difficult economic times.
However, it seems that not only developers have been affected by today's layoffs at Microsoft and Xbox Game Studios. Because according to a report from Jez Corden - well-known insider, Microsoft has also taken the opportunity to completely close the department that internally handles the work on physical game releases.
Judging by previous leaks about what is planned for the next Xbox - a rumoured fully digital console, this is not a surprising move and although Microsoft can still outsource physical distribution, this feels like another step closer to the 100 percent digital future. At least for you as an Xbox owner.
How do you see a fully digital Xbox future?
<social>https://twitter.com/jezcorden/status/1750590022842278391</social>