Sony lays off and drops production of Blu-Ray and other optical media report from Japan
Sony is reportedly on the verge of laying off over 250 employees and cutting production of Blu-Ray and other optical media. Let’s see what a report from Japan has indicated.
Sony Group Corp. will cut about 250 jobs from its main recordable media manufacturing center in northeastern Japan. This is what the Japanese national newspaper The Mainichi reports.
The production base in Tagajo, Miyagi Prefecture, currently has a workforce of approximately 670 people. It would therefore be a cut equal to 37% .
What we know about Sony’s moves
The planned job cuts come at a time when demand for traditional storage formats like Blu-ray discs has declined, with streaming services becoming the go-to choice for many.
Sony lays off and drops production of Blu-Ray and other optical media report from Japan
Sony Group has laid off 250 people from the recordable media business manufacturing hub, amid a decline in demand for traditional storage formats.
Sony will also "gradually cease production of optical disc storage media products, including Blu-ray discs" according to sources. https://t.co/N63ED6qvPL pic.twitter.com/Nl8id3xky6
— MauroNL (@MauroNL3) June 29, 2024
According to sources, the electronics and entertainment conglomerate will gradually cease production of optical disc storage media , including Blu-ray Discs. It is unclear how long this will take, but it could take several years.
It should also be underlined that one of the possibilities is that Sony wants to move the production of this type of physical support to external partners , so as not to have to directly manage the creation of discs. In any case, it is undeniable that this type of device is increasingly less in demand than in the past.
Speaking specifically about the gaming market, there is an increasing push towards completely digital consoles. This generation saw the arrival of two models, but according to analysts such as Mat Piscatella some manufacturers could stop distributing consoles with optical drives as early as the next one