The seventh console generation was a surprising one. The underpowered Nintendo Wii proved to be the cream of the crop, while Microsoft’s Xbox 360 gave Sony’s PlayStation 3 a run for its money. Sure, it did not do well in Japan, but it sold well in the United States and elsewhere. One of its strongest selling points was its Marketplace, where gamers could buy digital versions of the console’s games and their respective downloadable content. Sadly, all things must come to an end one day. Microsoft has announced the Xbox 360 Store will close on July 29, 2024.
The news of the closure comes by way of the official Xbox Wire blog. Next July, Xbox will stop supporting the ability to purchase new games, DLC, and other entertainment content from the Xbox 360 Store on the console and the Xbox 360 Marketplace (marketplace.xbox.com). In addition, the Microsoft Movies & TV app will no longer function on Xbox 360 after July 29. Of course, players can still purchase titles and DLC from the store until July 29, and anything they buy will remain playable on the Xbox 360.
It is not all bad news, however. Thanks to Microsoft’s forward-thinking, even after July 29, you will still be able to purchase hundreds of backward-compatible Xbox 360, Original Xbox games, and DLC on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox.com. Many of these games have been enhanced due to FPS Boost, Auto HDR, and faster loading times, so they play even better than they did on original hardware. Regardless, it is sad to see the store go, after being up and running for almost 18 years. A true accomplishment.
