After ten years since the beginning of the Xbox 360, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer announced the company will cease production of the Xbox 360.
The Xbox 360 had a fulfilling run, being the most successful Xbox product to date and beating out its rival, the PlayStation 3, by a small margin. The console boasted a library of well over 1,000 physical games, more than 100 of which were exclusive to the Xbox 360.
In a blog post on Xbox Wire, Phil Spencer explained that while the 360 had a long life and was a beloved console for Microsoft.
Achievement Unlocked: 10 Years – Thank You, Xbox 360 https://t.co/l2hr8q6iJO
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) April 20, 2016
“Last November, we celebrated a major milestone, as the Xbox 360 console turned 10 years old,” he said.
“The Xbox 360 helped redefine an entire generation of gaming at Microsoft. I am incredibly proud of all of the work and dedication that went into development of the Xbox 360 hardware, services and games portfolio over the last decade. And I’m grateful to the fans for their continued passion and support. Franchises like Gears of War were born on the 360, and established blockbusters like Halo really came into their own during this console generation. Xbox 360 was also the foundation for industry-leading technical innovation like Kinect, and the start of system updates and dashboard refreshes based on fan feedback.“
“Thanks to the Xbox 360, we evolved Xbox Live from the original Xbox into the thriving online gaming community it is today. And the console became a beloved gaming and entertainment hub with over 78 billion gaming hours played, nearly 486 billion Gamerscore on 27 billion achievements and over 25 billion hours spent in apps over its lifetime.”
“Xbox 360 means a lot to everyone in Microsoft. And while we’ve had an amazing run, the realities of manufacturing a product over a decade old are starting to creep up on us. Which is why we have made the decision to stop manufacturing new Xbox 360 consoles. We will continue to sell existing inventory of Xbox 360 consoles, with availability varying by country. We know that many of you became gamers on Xbox 360 and are still active, so it’s important to us that while the overall Xbox gaming experience will evolve and grow, we will continue to support the platform you love in multiple ways.”
Microsoft plans to support Xbox 360 users in the following ways:
- Xbox 360 owners will continue to receive Xbox Live services for their console, such as online multiplayer gaming and parties, access to the apps they use today, and Games with Gold and Deals with Gold.
- Xbox Live servers that support Xbox 360 services will also remain online and active. Our Xbox 360 fans can continue to play their favorite games with the full support of Xbox Live.
- Gamers will also be able to continue to buy over 4,000 Xbox 360 games or Xbox 360 accessories at retail and through our Xbox 360 store online, while supplies last.
- Any Xbox 360 hardware will still be supported at com/support.
- And Xbox One owners will be able to continue to enjoy available Xbox 360 games through Xbox One Backward Compatibility – at no additional cost.
Microsoft launched the Xbox 360 on November 22, 2005 in North America, and celebrated its decade milestone last year.
