Today is the End of an Era for the Xbox 360

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Today is the End of an Era for the Xbox 360

Highlights

  • Xbox 360 marketplace closes today, marking the end of an era for the popular seventh-generation console.
  • The console pushed online gaming forward with a digital storefront, offering indie games and retail releases.
  • Xbox 360 gamers can still play online, and those who purchased digital games can re-download them even after the closure.

As a long-time Xbox gamer, I can’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia and sadness as I write this. The Xbox 360 was my go-to console for years, and it brought me countless hours of entertainment and joy. From the thrilling races in Forza Motorsport to the intense gunfights in Halo Reach, the memories I made on that console are ones that I’ll cherish forever.

Today, July 29, marks the end of an era for the widely used Xbox 360 console as Microsoft shuts down its marketplace. Introduced in 2005, a year before competitors Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii hit the scene, the Xbox 360 quickly gained popularity due to its impressive exclusive games and affordability compared to the PS3. While the original Xbox had modest success, the Xbox 360 became a major sensation.

Starting from 2005, the Xbox 360 significantly advanced online gaming through innovations such as its digital marketplace where users could buy and download indie games, Xbox Live Arcade titles, and even full-retail games digitally. Despite being discontinued in 2016, the console’s online store continued to operate. Sadly, this is set to change as Microsoft announced that the Xbox 360 marketplace will be permanently closed.

Microsoft announced last year that they would be closing the Xbox 360 marketplace on July 29. As of now (10:00am Central Time), the marketplace is still functioning, but it’s expected to be permanently shut down soon. Unfortunately, Microsoft hasn’t specified an exact time for the shutdown, leaving users in the dark and guessing when it might occur. If you wanted to purchase any content from the Xbox 360 store before it closed, now would have been the best time to do so.

Today is the Day that the Xbox 360 Marketplace is Shutting Down Forever

Despite the Xbox 360 marketplace closing today, its online multiplayer servers will continue to operate.

As the Xbox 360 digital store was set to close soon, Microsoft and other publishers offered significant markdowns on their games in the preceding weeks. A diverse selection of titles became more affordable for Xbox 360 players, enabling them to make considerable savings before the storefront’s shutdown. Not every game received a discount, but some titles were even less expensive on the digital marketplace compared to secondhand physical copies. The prices of used Xbox 360 games have been on the rise since the announcement of the store closure.

Customers who bought digital Xbox 360 games can take comfort in knowing that they’ll be able to redownload their purchases even after the store shuts down. Moreover, it’s important to mention that any titles compatible with current Xbox consoles via backward compatibility will remain purchasable – buyers will simply need to do so on either an Xbox One or an Xbox Series X/S instead of the Xbox 360.

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2024-07-29 18:13