Rumor has it that Microsoft is pulling the plug on sales in a major market, which doesn’t bode well for Blu-ray disc collectors.

There are rumors that the Xbox Series X will be discontinued in Brazil, which does not bode well for the future. The brand is focused on growth, and we’ve heard that from many of its executives, including Xbox boss Phil Spencer. The question is whether the sales halt is just for South America, or whether this is a test before such a change can happen worldwide.

Microsoft no longer wants to dominate the hardware market, but has shifted its focus to the digital ecosystem. This includes the Xbox Series S, which lacks an optical drive, but also includes their subscription service, Xbox Game Pass. Incidentally, the rumor that Xbox Series X shipments from Brazil will no longer appear in the country surfaced on IconEra and has been confirmed by others. The Redmond-based company has suggested Xbox Cloud Gaming and Xbox Game Pass as alternatives (though the former requires a Game Pass Ultimate subscription), which could mean that these are the services Microsoft is trying to rely on in the region.

Microsoft has done the same in Saudi Arabia and several European countries. It’s not so easy to buy the Xbox Series X (of which the Redmond company has since released a digital version!) in those places either, and perhaps not without reason. The public could argue that Microsoft is trying to get out of the console race, while Spencer still swears by internally developed first-party support.

And this also explains the “This is Xbox” ad campaign, where Microsoft focused on which games can be played (from the cloud), whether on a TV or a smartphone. After this, it is questionable whether Microsoft will officially respond to the situation in Brazil, but it could indeed outline the future.

Source: GameRant