Discontinuation of Xbox LIVE for Original Xbox Games
Homie say what? Yes, it’s true. If you’re still playing the original Xbox and you’re still enjoying Halo 2 on Xbox LIVE or some other title, then you should start preparing your final frag soon. What little breath the original Xbox had in its existence will be over on April 15th this year. I was going to add my own little spin on the news but I figured this news was best served by simply copying the press release verbatim. So here she is folks…the finale…the end…the last battle..the finishing move…the curtain call…the…you get the point.
Dear Xbox LIVE Members,
On April 15 we will discontinue the Xbox LIVE service for original Xbox consoles and games, including Xbox v1 games playable on Xbox 360 and Xbox Originals. I want to start by saying this isn’t a decision we made lightly, but after careful consideration, it is clear this will provide the greatest benefit to the Xbox LIVE community.
Seven years ago we laid out our vision for the connected console when we launched Xbox LIVE. We believed then that the power of the Internet to connect people would revolutionize living room entertainment. It started with amazing multiplayer games, and we’ve since seen that bet pay off again and again with the launches of Xbox 360, Marketplace, Netflix and powerful social features like Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm. None of this would have been possible without the success of LIVE as a multiplayer gaming network.
There’s no greater example of the power of the Xbox LIVE community than the “Halo” franchise. “Halo 2″ has had an amazing run on LIVE, with a dedicated community more than five years after launch and well into the next generation of consoles. It has fundamentally changed the way we play video games. And while it’s difficult to see that run come to an end, the “Halo” franchise continues to act as the benchmark for multiplayer gaming in this generation, with “Halo 3,” “Halo 3: ODST” and soon “Halo: Reach” on Xbox 360.
Your Xbox LIVE community has grown to 23 million strong. And as we look down the road, we’ll continue to evolve the service with features and experiences that harness the full power of Xbox 360. To reach our aspiration, we need to make changes to the service that are incompatible with our original Xbox v1 games. We will contact the Xbox LIVE members directly impacted by this change and if this includes you, I encourage you to check your LIVE messages and associated e-mail account over the coming weeks for more details and opportunities. We view you as a partner in this process.
We’ll share more details soon, but in the meantime I want to assure you that the best is yet to come for Xbox LIVE. I believe we’ll look back on 2010 as a landmark year in gaming and home entertainment, and I couldn’t be more excited about what we have in store with “Project Natal” and LIVE. The LIVE community is the driving force behind everything we do, and it’s because of the community that ground-breaking experiences on Xbox continue to be possible.
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What say you about this news? I haven’t played the original Xbox in a long time and I don’t even bother trying old games on my Xbox 360 so this doesn’t affect me. Perhaps this will pave the way for an increase to the friend’s list? Perhaps mobile features finally? If they’re getting rid of a lot of resources for Xbox 1 players and such, then that should clear up room to do extra.
Someone kick in some old school Boys II Men right now!
February 5th, 2010 at 10:39 am
well thats pretty fucked for the people who bought xbox originals. too bad man i sometimes played Unreal Championship 2 : The Liandri Conflict on my 360. also an original xbox game. sad to see that option go.
February 5th, 2010 at 11:39 am
Well, they’ve said in the past that the friends list limit [@100] and a couple other issues were due to backwards compatibility for xbox games online. IIRC the friends list was implemented in each individual game, rather than a shared library or api provided by the system’s operating system.
Might mean they’re looking to implement some changes that haven’t been possible due to legacy requirements.
Is that worth losing original xbox games on live? Not sure. To me? Definitely. But i’m sure a lot of people still regularly play them. Dead or Alive 2 ultimate? Halo 2? Great games- but I honestly haven’t gone back to them for online.
February 5th, 2010 at 11:55 am
“Is that worth losing original xbox games on live?”
those improvements need to be VERY good improvements, IMO to lose the original gaming on live
February 5th, 2010 at 12:04 pm
it wouldn’t be all that bad if they weren’t selling xbox originals actually. they sold all that, and then they declare the end of xbl support for those games.
February 5th, 2010 at 1:36 pm
yeh i agree with lawl thats low on their part
February 5th, 2010 at 2:14 pm
“The ends justify the means” Niccolò Machiavelli
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niccol%C3%B2_Machiavelli
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_ends_justify_the_means
February 5th, 2010 at 4:28 pm
Bot happy about this… I always took what Microsoft said about XBL allowing old games to be played online for as long as the service exists wouldn’t be a lie… Now I realize it’s no better than having a dedicated servers shut down for Sony’s games.
February 5th, 2010 at 4:28 pm
Not happy at all
February 5th, 2010 at 5:11 pm
Dang. Gotta get in those last minute Crimson Skies/ Halo 2 games soon!
February 5th, 2010 at 6:53 pm
See, that’s what really irks me… A game like Crimson Skies/Rallisport Challenge 2/Mech Assault don’t have any 360 sequels. So you are really ass out of ever having the ability to play anything like those ever again online until they make a sequel… IF they ever do.
February 6th, 2010 at 7:04 pm
Considering I can barely keep up with the onslaught of AAA titles on the 360 this means nothing to me. I havn’t played an original title in years and I will bet 3/4 of the people bitching are in the same boat. Out with the old…
SuM
I can’t believe you unbanned mike warrior again, when will this shit stick perma.
February 6th, 2010 at 9:16 pm
Sum… I’m still banned at the forums, so I don’t know what you are talking about. Also, calling me shit doesn’t help your cause. Now about not playing old games… That is not the point, because I may eventually want to play them someday with their patches/updates that fix issues in those games.
February 6th, 2010 at 9:21 pm
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=386865 – Looks like Microsoft may have already pulled the plug
February 13th, 2010 at 3:03 am
this sucksss! no more halo 2
sad sad month
March 4th, 2010 at 10:35 am
[...] “avid Halo 2 fans” and will lose the ability to play the greatness of Halo 2 when they shut down Xbox LIVE on the original Xbox soon. What are those rewards? You’ll get a fresh batch of Microsoft Points (400 to be exact), [...]