In a brutal but predictable turn of events, Microsoft announced this week that there would be massive layoffs in their Gaming Division, reducing the headcount at Xbox and Blizzard by almost 2000 out of the 22,000 active personnel. Among the notable departures was the president of recently acquired Activision Blizzard, Mike Ybarra, who issued his farewell statement via X.
“I want to thank everyone who is impacted today for their meaningful contributions to their teams, to Blizzard, and to players’ lives. It’s an incredibly hard day and my energy and support will be focused on all those amazing individuals impacted – this is in no way a reflection on your amazing work. If there’s anything I can help with, connections, recommendations, etc., DM me.”
The acquisition of this gaming juggernaut cost Microsoft 68.7 billion dollars and was only recently finalized in October after a 20 month struggle with regulators in both the US and the UK. Another noteworthy acquisition for Microsoft was the 7 billion dollar purchase of ZeniMax Media, the parent company to Bethesda Studios. Bethesda’s latest title Starfield left much to be desired, but it may be too soon to tell if Microsoft will regret greedily gobbling up their competition.
Microsoft has made an aggressive push to expand their library of games on their paid subscription service “Game Pass,” with many titles such as Starfield and recent phenomenon Palworld being available at launch. Microsoft has also been at the forefront of “cloud gaming,” which essentially eliminates the need for a console as long as you own a mobile phone, Smart TV or home computer. This, as well as their rumored “discless Xbox” design, have set the stage for an even bigger round of layoffs.
RELATED: Palworld Gets Legal Threat From Nintendo Over Alleged Use Of Pokemon Assets
According to the Managing Editor at Windows Central, Jez Corden, the 1900 employees that were reportedly laid off is only the beginning. From a post on X on January 25th, Jez elaborated that the physical media department at Xbox was being let go:
“Microsoft has also shut down departments dedicated to bringing Xbox games to physical retail … which if you’ve seen the digital-only Xbox console leaks … well, you can get an idea of where Microsoft is going here.”
He went on to elaborate:
“Note: reducing retail teams doesn’t confirm Microsoft is quitting physical retail for Xbox games yet, they can outsource, and might be consolidating here. So, don’t run with “Xbox is quitting physical” based on this. But, it does seem to be the industry trajectory. Writing is on the wall.”
RELATED: Gameranx Hooked And Palworld Posts Update After Huge Success On Steam
If true, this comes as an ominous foreshadowing of what the future of all media has in store. Ubisoft recently made headlines when they made the statement that players “should get used to not owning their games.” If you feel like you’ve heard this rhetoric before, you are not wrong. It is the same message that globalists at the WEF have been preaching for years.
The advantages of owning physical media cannot be overstated. Games that don’t require a connection to the internet can stay in their original state, unadulterated by modernization, updates or trademark disputes. Owning a game on disc gives you the option to play a broken game the way it was at release, provided you never go online. This is something that players on Steam will never have the option to do, whether they care or not.
There are some companies like Limited Run Games who have vowed to continue to offer physical media as it’s available. Major retailers like GameStop, however, cannot compete with the digital market and have seen diminishing profits and store closures year after year, as the majority of gamers have transitioned to using online marketplaces for most of their purchases.
What do you think about all this? Do you still buy physical discs? Leave a comment down below and share your thoughts.
NEXT: Riot Games Lays Off 11% of Employees to Refocus As ESG Money Begins To Run Out
Leave a Reply