Microsoft will not close the Xbox 360 Marketplace, the company says The edgealthough text on an official Xbox support page indicated that was the plan.
Earlier this week, Microsoft said it would begin drawing much-loved games like Jetset radio and The orange box from the 360 store on February 7. That was disappointing enough, but then, thanks to a tweet from Wario64, we saw text on a support page saying that the company planned to close the Xbox 360 Marketplace “over the course of the next year” and that it encouraged players to “purchase all 360 games or DLC by May 2023 “. At the time of writing this is still possible see the message here by scrolling down a bit.
This message was a mistake, according to Xbox global product marketing manager Bree Adams. “This message was posted in error and we can confirm that the Xbox 360 marketplace will not close in May 2023,” Adams said in a statement. “As a reminder, as of February 7, 2023, a limited number of games, add-ons, and in-game content will no longer be available in select markets through the Xbox 360 Store.”
Yet even the hint of a shutdown highlights the ultimately ephemeral nature of digital marketplaces; if you don’t buy a game before a platform maker decides to remove it or close the store, you’ll have to find another way to play.
That said, we’ll still be losing a classic marketplace soon: the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS eShops are closing on March 27, meaning players only have a few weeks to make sure they have any copies of digital games on the market. platforms she would like to have in the future.
