The original XBox LIVE had a good run, almost eight years from when it first debuted back in November 2002. Obviously there were numerous attempts at online gaming before XBox LIVE (Dreamcast anyone?), but none that became such a power house of online gaming.
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. |
Apparently one of the reasons that the original XBox LIVE stayed online for so long was the continued success of Halo 2. The Halo Community is one of the strongest communities on XBox LIVE, and they are totally aware of that, but it was time to let old services die and look forward to the future. Halo 2 is also said to be the reason that friends lists were capped at the 100 limit according to G4TV. Hopefully sometime after April 15th the cap will be lifted.
There’s no greater example of the power of the XBox LIVE community than the “Halo” franchise. “Halo 2” has had an amazing run on LIVE, with a dedicated community more than five years after launch and well into the next generation of consoles. It has fundamentally changed the way we play video games. And while it’s difficult to see that run come to an end, the “Halo” franchise continues to act as the benchmark for multiplayer gaming in this generation, with “Halo 3,” “Halo 3: ODST” and soon “Halo: Reach” on XBox 360. |
For those that still own the original XBox and you are still playing on the original LIVE, be aware that you will probably be contacted by XBox before the service is disabled.
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. |
The old XBox LIVE is dead, long live XBox LIVE!
Source: XBox 360 Press Release
