April 15 is the last day gamers playing the original Xbox can play online
Microsoft has been in the gaming business for a long time with peripherals, game development, and consoles including the Xbox and Xbox 360. One of the best aspects of the Xbox 360 and the original Xbox for users was the online gaming service called Xbox Live.
Microsoft has made an announcement today that many Xbox gamers who enjoy original Xbox titles on either the Xbox 360 or the original console will not like. Starting on April 15 the Xbox Live service for the original Xbox console and original Xbox games will be discontinued.
The discontinuation of service will also include service for original Xbox games that are playable on the Xbox 360. Marc Whitten says that the decision wasn't made lightly, but is for the benefit of the entire Xbox Live community.
Whitten wrote in a blog post, "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."
The reason for the discontinuation of Xbox Live service for the original games and console is cited as one of compatibility. Changes need to be made to the Xbox Live service to support future goals for the platform that aren’t supported by early hardware and games.
Whitten wrote, "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."
Gamers who are affected by the changes will be contacted via email accounts associated with their Xbox Live accounts and via Live messages. The messages will share more details on the change and offer opportunities. Exactly what those opportunities are is unknown. This announcement isn't as big a deal as the mass bans that took place on the Live service, but some Xbox gamers will be unhappy.
