An era of gaming that saw Microsoft rise above its opponents in the video game arena ended today. Microsoft has announced that as of today, they have stopped all Xbox 360 production per Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer.
“Xbox 360 means a lot to everyone in Microsoft. And while we’ve had an amazing run, the realities of manufacturing a product over a decade old are starting to creep up on us. Which is why we have made the decision to stop manufacturing new Xbox 360 consoles. We will continue to sell existing inventory of Xbox 360 consoles, with availability varying by country.”
“I want to personally thank the Xbox community – that includes the vast and diverse audience of gamers, developers and publishers who brought so much passion and creativity to the Xbox 360. You are the heart of what we do at TEAM XBOX, and you have been critical to the success of Xbox 360.”
Of course, that doesn’t mean that the company is simply abandoning the console or it’s owners and Phil Spencer has stated that the Xbox 360 will continue to receive updates, services will stay online for the foreseeable future and that the hardware will still be supported via warranties at http://www.xbox.com/support.
This news leaves the Sony PlayStation 3 as the only 7th generation of console that is still in production as the Wii was discontinued in November 2013 and the Xbox 360 as of today. That doesn’t take account of the PlayStation 4 being discontinued in New Zealand during September 2015.
