Microsoft has announced it will soon no longer support the original Xbox console on its Live online service.
From 15 April, Microsoft will “discontinue Xbox Live service for original Xbox consoles and games”, according to the software giant’s Major Nelson blog.
The decision will also impact Xbox 360 owners – specifically, those who play old Xbox games on their second-gen consoles over Xbox Live.
Microsoft claimed that it “did not make this decision lightly”, stressing that the move is a necessary step towards “evolving the Live service with new features and experiences that fully harness the power of Xbox 360 and the Xbox Live community”.
“The best is yet to come,” Microsoft added, cryptically.
Microsoft’s announcement came just hours after it emerged that Xbox Live Arcade, the downloadable games arm of Xbox Live, generated $103.4m (£65.9m) during 2009 – up 34 per cent on 2008’s total.
A record 800,000 copies of Battlefield 1943 were sold over Xbox Live Arcade during 2009, the report, from market watcher Forecasting & Analysing Digital Entertainment, also said.
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