Microsoft pulling the plug on original Xbox games on Live

Well, they’ve had a good run in their time. But now, it’s time to say goodbye to the original Xbox games on Xbox Live. Microsoft has announced that they will soon discontinue the online service for games that appeared in the original Xbox, meaning no more online play for Halo 2 and the like. I repeat – if it appeared on the first Xbox, there won’t be any more Live service – this includes the ones you can play on the 360 as well.

Well, they’ve had a good run in their time. But now, it’s time to say goodbye to the original Xbox games on Xbox Live. Microsoft has announced that they will soon discontinue the online service for games that appeared in the original Xbox, meaning no more online play for Halo 2 and the like. I repeat – if it appeared on the first Xbox, there won’t be any more Live service – this includes the ones you can play on the 360 as well.

Take it from Xbox Live’s Larry Hryb:

I wanted to let you know that on April 15, 2010 Microsoft will discontinue Xbox LIVE service for original Xbox consoles and games, including Xbox 1 games playable on Xbox 360. Our first step in this process will be to turn off auto-renewals for those members who only use Xbox LIVE on a v1 Xbox. While I can’t comment on the specifics, this change will allow us to continue evolving the LIVE service with new features and experiences that fully harness the power of Xbox 360 and the Xbox LIVE community. We did not make this decision lightly, but after careful consideration and review we realize that this decision will allow us unprecedented flexibility for future features.

Marc Whitten also pitches in for the announcement, saying that the now 23 million-strong Xbox Live community will get “features and experiences that harness the full power of Xbox 360” as they continue to evolve the service. “To reach our aspiration, we need to make changes to the service that are incompatible with our original Xbox v1 games,” he said.

So if you’re reluctant to move on because of your prodigious mastery of Crimson Skies, you have two months left before you’re forced out of your comfort zone.

[via Kotaku]