Microsoft has announced that the Xbox 360 Store will cease to exist from July 2024. However, it will continue supporting Xbox 360 titles, playable thanks to backward compatibility.
This update isn’t a complete surprise, as Xbox 360 is now almost two decades old, and Microsoft had already started removing titles from the store over the last year. The company stated that this change can be attributed to changing player expectations, and they will be focusing on developing content and supporting their latest offerings, Xbox Series S|X.
Xbox 360 Store will shut on July 29, 2024: Here’s everything that will change
Starting July 29 next year, gamers will not be able to purchase any new games, DLCs, or other types of entertainment content from the Xbox 360 Store. This will affect the purchases made for both the Xbox consoles as well as Xbox 360 Marketplace. However, users can currently download DLCs and games from both Xbox 360 store and marketplace up until July 2024.
Furthermore, players will be able to access the games they have already purchased well after the store closes. Players using current-gen Xbox consoles, like Xbox One and Xbox Series S|X, can also continue playing Xbox 360 games they have currently purchased or will purchase before July 2024. Even if a player has bought A game in the past and deleted it, they will be able to re-download the game.
Online multiplayer games will still be playable, even after July 2024, as long as the games’ publishers continue supporting the online servers. Microsoft will continue offering cloud support, meaning that players will still be able to save their load files and game progress on the cloud, as long as they are playing any Xbox 360 Store’s games on Xbox One or Xbox Series S|X.
Furthermore, the Movies & TV app will also cease to function on Xbox 360 console. This means Xbox 360 users won’t be able to view entertainment content on their consoles after July 2024. However, any entertainment content bought or rented on Xbox 360 Store will remain in the user’s library and will be available to stream through current-gen Xbox consoles or Movies & TV app on Windows 10 & up.
Even after the Xbox 360 Store is shut down, players will still be able to download and purchase a number of Xbox 360 titles, played using backwards compatibility on current-gen consoles. Microsoft has also stated that many of the original Xbox 360 games have been enhanced to include current-gen capabilities, such as faster loading time, Auto HDR, and FPS boost.
Source – Xbox Wire
