Last week, it was announced that Microsoft is set to close the Xbox 360 Store in July 2024. When that happens, players will no longer be able to buy new games, DLC, or other content from the marketplace. While hundreds of games will be able to still be played on the Xbox Series X|S, there are plenty that you can’t play right now.
In a sit down with Eurogamer, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said that game preservation is important to him and his team. Because of that, the idea of not being able to play certain games again when the Xbox 360 Store closes is something that sits in his head.
“There’s a list of, what 220 games that are not back compat, and I have that list and I’ve got it stapled on my forehead, and like, how can we make sure [you can play them still?],” Spencer said.
“How many of those are on PC? That’s one thing, because it doesn’t necessarily mean you need to be able to play it on the existing hardware that you bought 15 years ago, but preservation is front and center when all these decisions are made. I will say for us that preservation that’s linked to only one piece of hardware is a challenge.
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“Because there can be hardware love as well – people who love and want this device to do this forever – but mechanical things will break over time. But that’s why we gave people with this decision a year. Let’s say ‘hey, if you want to go buy things in the 360 store, we’re going to give you a year headstart, and you can go get those things’. And just know that the list of the 220 games is something that we see, and we would love to find solutions for those games to continue to play.”
Going back to game preservation, Spencer told the outlet that the reason Xbox also releases its games on PC is partially for that reason. Spencer says that he believes that PC “is the best ecosystem for game preservation because it’s not tied to one piece of hardware”.
As far as any solutions, that is still likely a way off, if ever coming. For now, Xbox 360 owners will just have to make sure that any games they may want but can’t play on Xbox Series X|S are purchased before the Xbox 360 Store closes on July 29, 2024.
Are you concerned about the games you can’t play on Xbox Series X|S via backward compatibility? For more Insider Gaming, check out what Phil Spencer had to say about console price cuts.
