Microsoft will not be closing down the Xbox 360 Marketplace, the company tells The Verge, even though text on an official Xbox support page indicated that was the plan.
Earlier this week, Microsoft said that it would be pulling many beloved games like Jet Set Radio and The Orange Box from the 360 store on February 7th. That was disappointing enough, but then, thanks to a tweet from Wario64, we saw that text on a support page said the company planned to shutter the Xbox 360 Marketplace “over the next year” and that it encouraged players to “purchase any 360 games or DLC by May 2023.” As of this writing, you can still see the message here by scrolling down a little 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 the Xbox 360 marketplace will not close in May 2023,” Adams said in a statement. “As a reminder, beginning on February 7, 2023, a limited set of games, add-ons, and in-game content will no longer be purchasable in select markets via the Xbox 360 Store.”
Still, 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 shut down the store, you’ll have to find another way to play.
That said, we will still be losing a classic marketplace soon: the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS eShops will be closing down on March 27th, meaning players have just a few weeks to make sure they snag any copies of digital games on those platforms that they might want to have in the future.
