This week, Microsoft made a series of significant layoffs that totaled 1,900 jobs across its Xbox, Bethesda, and Activision Blizzard divisions. The layoffs affected various areas, but the most curious thing is that one of the most affected was the departments dedicated to them physical games on Xbox.

Reading between the lines and putting it in context with what I just told you yesterday about the new Xbox series All indications are that Microsoft is significantly reducing its commitment to physical games on the Xbox, which makes a lot of sense because according to official market data a significant part of triple A titles available on the consoles of the Redmond giant. They have 80% market share in digital format.

I know what you’re thinking, does this mean Microsoft is abandoning physical games for Xbox? No, at least for now, this information only suggests that the Redmond giant is reducing its investment in this type of format, as it seems to be less important than a few years ago. However, some analysts believe that this is the case may be Microsoft’s ultimate long-term goal.

Mat Piscatella, an analyst at Circana, said at the time that he believed exclusive digital releases would become the norm in the coming years and by 2028 it will be the standard on consoles of the generation corresponding to this date. Yes, the analyst is referring to the successor to the Xbox Series X-Series S and the PS5, although he avoids naming them directly.

The truth is that it is an undeniable fact that in the last ten years the progress of the digital format has been unstoppable. I myself was always more for buying games in physical format, but in the end for a matter of space, comfort and great offers offered by major digital gaming platforms such as Steam, Good Old Games and the Epic Games Store, I eventually abandoned physical games altogether.

Games in digital format have their advantages, and it is much easier for large companies to distribute titles in this format than in the classic physical format. This also saves them a lot of money and allows them to maximize the income earned from each unit sold. In the end, there are all advantages, although this format always raises the question if we actually own the games we buy.

We are at the point where which format used no longer defines anything, because there are titles that, no matter how much we buy them physically, we need to activate them via the Internet, and there are others that depend on third-party services, which means that they may stop working at some point. I believe that the story tells itself and that ultimately the digital format will continue to increasingly displace the physical format.