Microsoft shuts down the Xbox 360 Marketplace after over 18 years
The Xbox 360’s online marketplace is shutting down today after launching alongside the console in November 2005, marking the end of an era and leaving a significant number of games and other content unavailable for purchase.
The details:
As announced last year, the 360 Marketplace will be shut down on July 29, preventing players from buying any new digital content for the console. However, any previously purchased games, add-ons, and other content will remain downloadable for the foreseeable future.
With the closure, approximately 220 games will no longer be officially available on any platform (via VGC), and the console's iconic themes, profile pictures, and avatar items will be inaccessible. Some 360 titles will still be available digitally via the Xbox One and Series X/S if they are included in the backwards compatibility program.
Fans of the platform have rushed to snap up a number of discounted games and other content before it shuts down permanently, with Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb, the former face of Xbox, saying farewell to the store on X. “Almost 19 years on, all good things must come to an end,” Hryb wrote. “It was my pleasure sharing all the thousands of marketplace sales and updates I’ve given over the years. Thanks for having fun, playing fair and filing feedback.”
Following the announcement of the closure in August 2023, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer stated that the company "would love to find solutions" for games lost due to service closures. The executive went on to say that he believes preservation is "critical" for Xbox, and that the decision to bring its titles to PC is part of its plans to keep them available.
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