Halohas had a year of highs and lows. The highs revolve around theHalo: Master Chief Collectionbeing ported to PC, while the lows focus on the delay ofHalo Infinite’s highly anticipated release.Halo Infinitewill now be arriving in late 2021, an extra year’s wait. Still, yet again it looks like a year of highs and lows as it’s now confirmed that Xbox will be sunsettingHaloservices on the Xbox 360 platform. With a new generation of consoles comes a goodbye to an older generation.
In a lengthy blog post from 343 Industries, it’s confirmed thatHaloon Xbox 360is going to be sunsetted in December 2021. What that means is that allHalogames on the Xbox 360 are going to have their legacy services, specifically online services, discontinued. The individual games will still be playable, but features including online matchmaking and other online services will be limited or disabled entirely.
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Today marks what 343 is calling Phase Two of this process. Phase One involved transferring a variety ofHaloXbox 360 data to theHalo: Master Chief Collectionthat’s widely available on modern platforms. Phase Two, as should be clear, starts with informing fans of the upcoming discontinuation ofHaloXbox 360 services. Alongside that, however, come two other chances. One,Halotitles on Xbox 360 will no longer be available digitally. Two,HaloDLC on Xbox 360 can still be picked up for free.
Phase 3 will entail continued warnings from343 Industries, Xbox, and other channels regarding the upcoming sunsetting ofHaloon Xbox 360. This will take place throughout 2021. Finally, Phase 4 in December 2021 will see those legacy services officially shut down. A specific date for the shutdown isn’t provided, but it’s confirmed to be at least one year from today, December 18. Finalized details will be shared closer to the date in question.
As justification for the closure, 343 cites its focus on its “ambitious vision” forHalo Infinite, as well as its “continued and evolving” plan to grow theHalo: Master Chief Collection. Those are both clearly ambitious efforts, especially ifHalo 5ends up being brought into the collection in the upcoming year.
It’s nostalgic to consider how manyHalogames were released on Xbox 360, especially after an Xbox One generation that had relatively fewHaloreleases.Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary,Halo 3,Halo 3: ODST,Halo: Spartan Assault,Halo Reach,Halo Wars, andHalo 4were all available on Xbox 360. And while their online features and services may be a year away from being shut down,Halofans' memories are certain to remain rich.
