Microsoft has announced it will begin delisting older games from its Xbox 360 Marketplace, with around 46 classic games set to depart by the end of February 2023. An exact reason for the sunsetting was not shared, however it’s likely related to expiring licenses for content, and the complications of maintaining a semi-defunct storefront.
‘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,’ a Microsoft spokesperson told Gematsu of the changes.
They also made clear this will only impact the Xbox 360 version of the Microsoft marketplace: ‘These titles will no longer be purchasable on the Xbox 360 Store only, and titles that are available to be purchased on the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S Stores will remain purchasable.’
Players will still be able to play discs, and re-download content they’ve already purchased via the marketplace, or on modern consoles, as long as these games are backward compatible.
Titles set to be delisted on Xbox 360 consoles include heavy hitters like Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Dark Souls, The Witcher 2, and more – with each representing a core part of gaming history.
Read: Assassin’s Creed Liberation turns 10: A forgotten but important legacy
While the Xbox 360 Marketplace is not shutting down imminently, this decision does appear to be a first step towards sunsetting the store. Given the console is now two generations behind the status quo, we wouldn’t be surprised to see additional steps in future.
For now, the following titles will depart the Xbox 360 Marketplace in the United States and other regions:
- Aegis Wing
- Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood
- Assassin’s Creed III
- Assassin’s Creed IV
- Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD
- Blood of the Werewolf
- Blue Dragon
- Breakdown
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
- Call of Duty: Ghosts
- Castle Crashers
- Cloning Clyde
- Counter-Strike: GO
- Dark Souls
- Darksiders II
- DAYTONA USA
- Defense Grid
- Eets: Chowdown
- Far Cry 2
- Final Fight: Double Impact
- Iron Brigade
- Jeremy McGrath’s Offroad
- Jet Set Radio
- Left 4 Dead
- Left 4 Dead 2
- LIMBO
- Lost Odyssey
- Mass Effect 2
- MONOPOLY DEAL
- Mutant Blobs Attack
- N+
- Outpost Kaloki X
- Peggle 2
- Phantom Breaker:Battle Grounds
- Prince of Persia
- R.U.S.E.
- Sega Vintage Collection: Alex Kidd & Co.
- Skate 2
- South Park: The Stick of Truth
- Spelunky
- SplinterCellConviction
- Star Wars Battlefront
- Star Wars KOTOR 2
- The Orange Box
- The Raven Episode 1
- The Witcher 2
Game removals differ per region, but there are commonalities between each list. If you’re keen to see what’s being removed locally, Xbox has outlined every major change here. You can expect to see titles disappearing from 7 February 2023.
