Xbox is hiring a "Physical Games Strategist" — will Helix have discs?

Microsoft might be planning to take a sharp left turn on the whole digital games argument, with this new Xbox job vacancy.

The summer has been quite fractious for the gaming industry. Xbox has laid off hundreds and divested, closed down studios. And Sony nuked all the good will it has built up over the years by announcing PlayStation will no longer support physical discs, while reiterating in court testimony that it doesn't consider purchases to represent true ownership.

Xbox has pulled in the opposite direction so far, in some ways. Xbox's new Disc-to-Digital program gives disc-based game owners digital rights simply for inserting the game into a compatible Xbox One or Xbox Series X console. But, Microsoft alone can't really stop the tide. It remains true that the only mass-market use case for Blu-ray drives these days are video game consoles, and if PlayStation is pulling out, the supply chain generally won't be viable at scale. Disc drive manufacturers are pivoting their assembly lines to adjacent industries, like lenses and lasers, ditching mechanical disc drives and putting disc-based games on notice.

But, could there be an alternative?

Users on X noticed last night that Microsoft has posted a vacancy for a "Xbox Games Supply Strategist" specifically focused on physical 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."

Notice that the copy makes no mention of discs here specifically ...

Indeed, with disc drives for laptops, Blu-ray players, and even CD players being phased out, it doesn't seem entirely likely to me that Xbox Helix will have a traditional disc drive. But, it increasingly seems like Microsoft may be looking at alternatives. The Nintendo Switch range for example uses SD cartridges to deliver game licenses, and in some cases entire games when the speed is adequate. Could Microsoft be looking to follow suit here?

Will Xbox Helix support physical games?

Microsoft has stayed fully quiet on its plans for physical games, even as PlayStation leaps head-first into self-imposed brand damage by telling users it's going all-in on digital.

Digital-based games are the norm now, owing to convenience and often times price. Xbox Game Pass delivers hundreds of games for a low monthly fee, all digital. Steam accelerated the death of disc-based games on PC, and the Steam sales, cloud saves, and family sharing, and offline playback have become the gold standard for a digital games platform. Mobile games too have converted entire generations to assume gaming is a digital-first medium.

Yet, in the core gaming audience, the hobbyist audience that makes up Xbox, Nintendo, and PlayStation's bulk customers — perhaps there's an opportunity for Microsoft here with Xbox Helix.

Retail presence, physicality, that sense of ownership, and resale viability are all hugely popular aspects of the hobby. Microsoft would score a huge win with large swaths of the most passionate fans were it to announce long-term support for physical games delivery. But, Microsoft would also be swimming hard against the tide. The quiet majority has signalled pretty loud and clear they prefer digital, whether it's via Netflix, YouTube, Spotify, or gaming itself. But ... vinyl, 4K Blu-Ray, and even music cassettes have fought back in recent years, as discussions about ownership heats up.

Perhaps Xbox could do something similar to Nintendo with Helix, delivering games via cartridges. Perhaps they could come up with something alternative, low cost and proprietary, even if it was just discs. Perhaps they could revive Skylanders toys and put game licenses on NFC chips inside action figures. Who knows? I guess we'll have to wait and see what Microsoft's ultimate play here is.

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