With almost 20 years in the bag, the Xbox 360 store will breath its last. Though that does come with a few caveats.
Last gasps
Well folks, this is it. After seeing release in 2005, the Xbox 360 will be ending its run. While the console itself hasn’t been sold (new) for years, and no new titles have come out for it either, the system will be losing its online game store in July of 2024. And that means exactly what it sounds like; console owners won’t be able to buy content digitally.
The move comes with Microsoft saying resources will be shifted to supporting the Xbox Series X|S, and making it “the best place to play now and in the future”. That’s understandable since we’re talking about a console that’s almost two decades old. And according to Microsoft, games that are backwards compatible will still be up for sale, though via newer consoles only. So if you want to play something that’s also ready to roll for the Series X for example, you will still be able to.
And it goes without saying that, if you already own something, it’ll still be downloadable without issue. That includes via the 360 too, so that portion the store won’t be going anywhere. And, at least for now, multiplayer will still be available, plus players will still be able to use the cloud save system.
This part isn’t so great though
Along with the store, movie and TV content will also go completely inoperative on the console. You won’t lose any purchases you’ve made, as those will still be tied to your account, and will be viewable via any supported device. It’s just that the 360 will sadly side into the ‘non-supported’ device category.
It’s also worth noting that, along with the games themselves, any DLC that’s not been made backwards-compatible to the Series X|S will also be disappearing. We’re not too thrilled with that, though it’s a part of gaming in the digital age. Even if you buy your base games in physical form, the expansions and downloadable-content that the industry has become obsessed with will eventually all vanish.
Source: Xbox Newswire