Microsoft will close the Xbox 360 store next year and, with it, about 200 digital games will disappear and will no longer be available. Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, is aware of this and is concerned about what it means for the preservation of the medium.
In an interview, the executive stated that he would love to find a solution to preserve current games after the store closes. While he does not have a definite plan for now, he assured that preservation is still very important to Xbox.
Xbox wants to preserve games after Xbox 360 store closure
We know that at least 220 games on the Xbox 360 store only had a digital release, so it will be impossible to get them if they are not purchased before the store closes. Spencer knows that this is of concern to a sector of gamers who care about preserving the medium.
In declarations for Eurogamer, he assured that he already has the complete list of games that will disappear and that in Xbox they are thinking about an alternative to know if it is possible to save them in some way. He stressed that preservation is important for the brand, so the ideal would be to have a way to continue enjoying those titles.
"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?] 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 centre when all these decisions are made," Spencer said.
The executive stated that it is a big challenge for Xbox to tie preservation to a single piece of hardware, but they understand the appreciation gamers may have for certain devices they enjoyed for years. For this reason, they communicated the closure of the store well in advance, so gamers can acquire the content that appeals to them. Xbox is analyzing ways to rescue the titles, but nothing is certain for now.
"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," Spencer concluded.
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