Bad news, Xbox announced it will close the Xbox 360 storefront in July 2024. Once it closed, you will no longer be able to buy Xbox 360 games digitally.
Xbox 360 games you already own will continue to be retained in your library and can be played. If the game is backwards compatible, it can be played on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles with graphical enhancements.
Part of the statement from the Xbox Wire on the news reads as follows:
“A lot has changed since the Xbox 360 launched in 2005. Technology has evolved, expectations from players have shifted, and we are focused on making Xbox Series X|S the best place to play now and in the future.”
That said, this is a big, big bummer to see that even Xbox, owned by Microsoft, cannot afford to keep a digital store running in perpetuity.
Xbox has made great efforts to get games from not only the 360 generation, but even the OG Xbox, to be backwards compatible with modern hardware and it’s a commendable move. However, that program, which is a manual task done by a dedicated team, has concluded with no more back-compat games to be added.
With the closing of the Xbox 360 store, there will still be games that will be gone permanently. This includes games that did not get back-compat support, Xbox Live Arcade games that never have a physical release, and games utilising the Xbox 360 peripheral Kinect.
Sony’s PlayStation recently announced the closure of the PS3 and PS Vita stores, which met with fan backlash over how sudden of a move it was. Sony responded by having the version of the PlayStation Store (except the PSP) continue to be available.
The move shouldn’t affect many gamers in Southeast Asia. Xbox continues to this day to have a very limited presence in the region outside of Singapore. Though more recently it has offered PC Game Pass to more countries in the region, and in the world in general.