Destin Legarie Podcast | Save State Plus

Xbox layoffs are no longer just rumors. The Xbox News today is that layoffs are happening right now, and it's across almost every department.CWA-represented workers at Microsoft spoke publicly today and confirmed that they expect layoffs across the Xbox division. During a press call, CWA District 9 vice president Frank Arce said multiple reports indicate Microsoft may initiate layoffs across Xbox in the days ahead, and the union is warning that workers should not be treated as disposable.GamesBeat reports that Microsoft is preparing to take action in early July, shortly after the close of its financial quarter, with hundreds of jobs potentially at stake. The report names Double Fine, Undead Labs, Compulsion Games, and Ninja Theory as studios where jobs could be affected if buyers are not found, while Blizzard, Bethesda, and other divisions are also expected to be hit.Microsoft has not publicly announced the full scope yet, but employees and union representatives are now speaking out before the cuts happen. This video breaks down what was said, what has been reported, and why this could be one of the biggest Xbox cuts yet.

Sony Interactive Entertainment just discussed its next-generation PlayStation strategy in a new investor Q&A, including hardware pricing, profitability, PC competition, cloud gaming, and how PlayStation is thinking about the future beyond PS5.The biggest takeaway? Sony says it is “not realistic” to absorb all component cost increases and that, as a principle, it does not intend to sell hardware at significant losses. That doesn’t confirm a PS6 price, but it does give us a pretty clear look at PlayStation’s philosophy heading into the next generation. Sony also says the next PlayStation is meant to deliver value unique to PlayStation, not simply act as an alternative to gaming PCs.Today we’re breaking down what Sony actually said, what it could mean for PS6 pricing, and why PlayStation’s next console strategy may be less about undercutting competitors and more about proving the value of the ecosystem.

Xbox is talking about a much bigger future: more games, more ways to play, FanFest, Hollywood adaptations, and major franchises like Minecraft, Fallout, Gears of War, Call of Duty, Halo, Blade, and The Elder Scrolls.But that future is coming at a very difficult time. Hardware sales are struggling, console prices are rising, studios are reportedly bracing for layoffs or restructuring, and Xbox leadership has already warned that sacrifices may be coming.So I wanted to look at the recent Entertainment Weekly Xbox at 25 piece with fresh eyes and talk about where Xbox says it wants to go, what may happen over the next 100 days, and whether this strategy actually solves the biggest problems facing the brand.

PlayStation is once again talking about its live service strategy, but the funny part is how much of this sounds like the same plan Sony has been pushing for years. In a new Famitsu interview, PlayStation CEO Hideaki Nishino talked about Sony’s continued interest in live service games, how the company views PS5 versus PC releases, and why single-player first-party games still appear to be PlayStation-first while live service games are more likely to launch across PS5 and PC.The bigger question is whether Sony has actually learned from what happened with Bungie, Concord, and the wider live service push, or if PlayStation is still trying to make the same strategy work with a slightly cleaner explanation.

I sat down with That’s No Moon to talk about their upcoming single-player reimagining of Crossfire, and what stood out most is how seriously the team is taking combat, cover, and story.This is not being pitched as a traditional cover shooter where you snap to waist-high walls and trade bullets until your health comes back. The team is building what they call adaptive cover, where your character reacts to enemy sightlines, organic geometry, and the environment around you. The goal is to make combat feel more lethal, more tactical, and more cerebral.We also talk about why the studio is taking such a big swing on its first project, how Unreal Engine 5 is enabling their approach, and why they believe story and gameplay need to be inseparable.