In the era of digital gaming, with more changes will bring about losses. Microsoft will be preparing to close down its digital store on the Xbox 360 consoles. This November will mark 18 years of the service, and come July 29th, 2024 will see it decommissioned. With these changes, the Microsoft Movies & TV app will no longer work on the 360 either. If you already have your digital games downloaded, you will still be able to play them.  

"This change will not affect your ability to play Xbox 360 games or DLC you have already purchased" Dave McCarthy spoke in a press release. "Xbox 360 game content previously purchased will still be available to play , not only the Xbox 360 console but also Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S devices via backward compatibility."

Choplifter HD, one of the many games on the Xbox 360 storefront set to go away in 2024

With the consolidation of this storefront, this means up to 220 digital-only games could disappear forever. Many of the games have been ported to physical compilations as the years have rolled on, even receiving enhanced versions, such as Life is Strange, Darkstalkers Resurrection, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, and Tales From the Borderlands. Microsoft exclusives like the brawler/RPG Charlie Murder can be purchased on Linux and macOS via Steam It's also worth mentioning that a good number of games have been delisted from the 360 store, despite being listed. Figure that out.

Here's some of the titles set to be removed:

• 1942: Joint Strike
• 3 Point Contest (Kinect)
• Abyss Odyssey
• Alien Breed Episode 1
• Alien Breed 2: Assault
• Alien Breed 3: Descent
• Alien Rage
• Alien Spidy
• Amy
• Batman: The Telltale Series
• Battle Academy
• Battlezone
• Bejeweled Blitz Live
• Bionic Commando: Rearmed
• Black Knight Sword
• Blade Kitten
• Charlie Murder
• Child of Light
• Choplifter HD
• Cloudberry Kingdom
• Cobalt
• Constant C
• Contrast
• Crazy Machines Elements
• Double Dragon II
• Duke Nukem 3D
• Dungeon Defenders
• Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale
• Dust: An Elysian Tail
• Fire Pro Wrestling
• Fireburst
• Freefall Racers (Kinect)
• Frogger: Hyper Arcade Edition
• Frozen Free Fall: Snowball Fight
• Fruit Ninja Kinect (Kinect)
• Mighty No 9
• Minesweeper Flags
• Mini Ninjas Adventures (Kinect)
• Mortal Kombat Arcade
• Naughty Bear: Panic in Paradise
• NCAA Basketball: March Madness Edition
• Panzer General
• Raystorm HD
• Reaction Rally (Kinect)
• Red Johnson’s Chronicles
• Rekoil: Liberator
• Renegade Ops
• Resident Evil
• Resident Evil 0
• South Park: Let’s Go Tower Defense Play!
• South Park: Tenorman’s Revenge
• Space Channel 5 Part 2
• Space Invaders Extreme
• Spare Parts
• State of Decay
• Storm
• Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting
• Street Fighter III: Online Edition
• Strider
• Special Forces Team X
• Xevious
• Yar’s Revenge
• Yie Ar King-Fu
• Yo-Ho Kablammo
• Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s Decade Duels Plus
• Yu-Gi-Oh! Millennium Duels
• Zeit 2
• Zeno Clash UE
• Zeno Clash 2
• Zombie Driver HD
• Zombie Wranglers

Can this be considered a blow to video game preservation? The Wii U and 3DS digital stores recently closed, and while there was initial outrage, it has subsided, as if you already purchased what you wanted, the service outlived its purpose. Feel free to share your thoughts, should video game storefronts last forever?

SOURCE: Video Games Chronicle (game list)