Summary
- 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.
With the Xbox 360 marketplace closing down today, July 29 is truly the end of an era for the popular seventh generation console. Microsoft first released the Xbox 360 in 2005, a full year ahead of competitors the Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii. Whereas the original Xbox was a modest success, the Xbox 360 was a massive hit, largely thanks to high-quality exclusives and its affordability compared to the PS3.
The Xbox 360 pushed online gaming forward in major ways, like with its digital storefront that allowed users to purchase and download digital copies of indie games, Xbox Live Arcade titles, and full-blown retail releases. The Xbox 360 was discontinued in 2016, but the console's storefront has remained online in the years since. Unfortunately, that's about to change, as the Xbox 360 marketplace is shutting down forever.
Thousands of Non-Gaming Xbox 360 Content Will Be Delisted Soon
The impending closure of the Xbox 360 Store draws closer, which means thousands of non-gaming content is disappearing as well.
Microsoft let fans know last year that it planned on shutting down the Xbox 360 marketplace on July 29, and now that day has come. At the time of this writing (10:00am CT), the Xbox 360 marketplace is still up and running, but it will most likely be shut down for good within the next few hours. Unfortunately, Microsoft did not provide fans with an exact time that it would be shutting down the Xbox 360's digital storefront, and so all users can do at this point is guess. Hopefully, anyone that was interested in buying any content from the Xbox 360 storefront did so already.
Today is the Day that the Xbox 360 Marketplace is Shutting Down Forever
Even though the Xbox 360 marketplace is shutting down today, the platform's online multiplayer servers are staying online.
In the weeks leading up to the Xbox 360 storefront's closure, Microsoft and other publishers provided deep discounts on the platform's digital games. This included a wide range of titles, letting 360 gamers save big before the store was shut down. Not all games were discounted, but even so, some of the titles were likely cheaper on the 360 marketplace than their secondhand physical versions. After all, used Xbox 360 game prices have been going up in the wake of the store closure announcement.
Those that did purchase digital Xbox 360 games should note that even after the store is closed down, they will still be able to re-download any purchases. It's also worth pointing out that any games that are playable on modern Xbox consoles through the backward compatibility program will still be available to purchase - interested users will just have to do so on the Xbox One or Xbox Series X/S family of consoles instead of Xbox 360.
The Xbox 360 was Microsoft's successor to its original Xbox video game console. The seventh-generation device was built as a direct competitor to consoles like Sony's PS3 and Nintendo's Wii.
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