Xbox fans have noticed that three days ago, Microsoft published a job ad for an Xbox Games Supply Strategiston LinkedIn, sparking speculation that they might attempt to keep physical discs alive with the next-generation Helixconsole after Sonyannounced it would end physical disc production for all new PlayStation games in January 2028, all but confirming a digital-only future for the upcoming PlayStation 6.
Here’s the job description, by the way:
Microsoft is looking for a motivated & inspiring leader to join the Xbox Supply Chain team, responsible for driving end-to-end supply chain strategy & performance to enable achievement of the financial & overall category targets for Xbox Games.
The Xbox Games Supply Strategist will coordinate the launch of physical Xbox games across all platforms, lead development & oversee execution of global supply positioning strategies across all stages of the product lifecycle, ensure that inventory is positioned to deliver working capital/cost/service goals, and oversee the sales & channel execution of those games. You’ll work closely with Product Marketing, Finance & various groups within Supply Chain to establish & manage supply and sales plan of record. Every day will bring a new challenge, and you’ll be continually looking for ways to drive business profitability by planning and executing a predictable, reliable & low-cost supply chain.
The ideal candidate must combine exceptional analytical capabilities, have deep supply chain knowledge & a proven track record of improving business performance by driving cross-functional alignment & exerting influence in a matrixed organization.
It’s worth tempering expectations for now, though. The job listing specifically covers launching physical Xbox games across all platforms, and with Xbox now publishing on PlayStation and Nintendo hardware, that could simply mean physical editions for those consoles. And when Sony made its announcement, rumors suggested that the next Xbox would likely also abandon disc drives.
Still, if Microsoft did decide to keep discs alive with Helix, the strategy would have clear advantages. It would instantly differentiate Xbox from PlayStation at a time when the PS6 looks set to go fully digital, appealing to a vocal group of players highly concerned about ownership and preservation. Discs would also complement Xbox’s long-standing commitment to backward compatibility, keeping existing Xbox One and Series S|X disc libraries playable on new hardware.
There would inevitably be drawbacks, however. Cost is the most obvious one: removing the disc drive is widely seen as an easy way to cut costs on next-generation hardware, and Helix, built around the PC ecosystem with support for third-party storefronts like Steam and the Epic Games Store, is already expected to be highly expensive (over $1K) amid the ongoing memory crisis. Demand is the other problem. Microsoft doesn’t break out its physical sales, but Circana data shows Xbox accounted for just over 4% of new physical game sales in the US so far this year, compared with 32% for PlayStation and 63% for Nintendo, making Xbox by far the most digital console (likely due to Microsoft’s prior push toward Game Pass).
A middle ground, such as the optional add-on drive Sony adopted for the PS5 Slim and PS5 Pro, may well be the more realistic outcome.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief.
In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech’s gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews.
Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications.
His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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