Say goodbye to Xbox 360 as Microsoft ceases production
After a wildly successful 10-year run (plus a few months), Microsoft is closing up shop on the Xbox 360.
Xbox boss Phil Spencer confirmed it Wednesday, citing "the realities of manufacturing a product [that's] over a decade old." Microsoft will continue to sell off its current inventory of stockpiled consoles.
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In a goodbye post on Xbox Wire, Spencer spent some time highlighting some of the 360's big successes and the legacy it leaves behind.
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
The Xbox 360 was a dominant force during the previous console generation. Its global sales were roughly equal to those of the PlayStation 3, but it was on the 360 that Xbox Live and the notion of social gaming on consoles found its footing.
Microsoft will continue to support 360-owning customers in all the ways you'd expect. Technical support, store purchases and game servers aren't going anywhere, and Microsoft's Games/Deals With Gold programs will continue to serve both Xbox 360 and Xbox One customers.
Spencer also promises that additional games will continue to be added to the Xbox One's backward compatibility list, allowing longtime 360 users to access more and more of their last-generation library from the newer console.
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Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
