Sony blindsided publishers and partners by killing PlayStation physical discs in secret.
“Despite our seemingly close working relationship with PlayStation we weren’t informed that this was happening,” says one executive at a major AAA publisher. “It’s only hitting us now that we may be out of jobs sooner rather than later.”
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"PS5 Will Be My Last Console"
With the news that Xbox is also considering an all-digital Project Helix, the next console generation could mark a huge downturn in fortunes for game collectors, used game buyers and those connected to slow, capped or unreliable internet connections. It's clear that there's a groundswell of support for discs amongst the enthusiasts in the Digital Foundry audience and elsewhere, but it will be an uphill battle to convince Sony and Microsoft to abandon their plans given the overarching consumer preference for digital purchases - said to be nearly 80 percent in 2025 according to a recent Guardian article.
Microsoft is selling off four Xbox studios as part of significant gaming cuts
"Microsoft is laying off 4,800 employees today, and more than 30 percent of the job losses are in the company’s Xbox division. Double Fine and Compulsion Games are going independent, and Microsoft is also selling Ninja Theory and Undead Labs."
PS5 fans flock to piracy as Sony plans to ditch physical games
"According to Google, as of this writing, searches for the terms 'PS5 jailbreak' have risen about 20% in the last 24 hours. Numerous videos focusing on the PS5 jailbreak scene or jailbreak tutorials have attracted comments from the past day referencing Sony's digital pivot."
