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Microsoft and 343 Industries are shutting down Halo Xbox 360 services. The two have already halted digital sales of all Halo games, Engadget reports.
Halo developers in a post noted that month-to-month use of Xbox 360 legacy game services has continued to decline. This has created a “greater imbalance” between the time and work required to “cope with the net impact on the Halo community at large,” the post said.
“… As with any business, our teams must continually weigh needs against available resources (time, people, experience, etc.) and prioritize the areas and opportunities that generate the greatest impact. As these games continue to age, and as improved modern replacements for many of these experiences have moved to the forefront, fewer and fewer people are spending time on the original legacy titles, ”he added.
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The developers also said that digital sales have already slowed, while physical sales of these Xbox 360 titles stopped in 2018.
Online services for legacy Halo Xbox 360 titles will be discontinued in December 2021. Those who own these titles will continue to have access to the game, but some features such as online matchmaking will no longer work.
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The developers also established a phased plan to help users with the transition. For now, they will send initial notifications to players. As previously stated, Halo Xbox 360 digital sales have already stopped. Users, however, can purchase Halo Xbox 360 DLC at no cost.
In the next phase, developers will send messages and reminders throughout the year. In the final phase, the company will completely shut down its legacy Halo Xbox 360 services.
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“As noted above, this is just the beginning, and we will continue to message and remind our community of next year’s extinction in the coming months. For now, no action is required other than taking note. We would also like to point out that as these services continue to age and back-end work occurs, gamers may encounter intermittent outages. If we anticipate that any work item will result in specific service outages along the way, we will make sure to spread the word, ”the publication added.
