11 January 2008
Ferry

Xbox 360 Backwards Compatibility updates might stop soon. To be replaced with Xbox Originals re-releases (Burnout 3 on January 14th)

In an interview at CES 2008 this week Albert Penello, group marketing manager for the Xbox 360, was asked if there would be any future Xbox 360 backwards compatibility updates coming from Microsoft. His reply indicated the November 2007 Xbox 360 backwards compatibility update might have been the last one.

To quote: “I don’t know if we have plans to do any more releases. It feels like we kind of hit the point of diminishing returns there. I know with the Xbox Originals, there are still things happening there, but in terms of a lot of engineering work around bringing out new titles, I think they’re winding that down.”

Microsoft’s original promise for backwards compatibility updates was to focus on the “top selling” original Xbox titles. This, Mr. Penello said, from a corporate standpoint, was delivered upon. To quote: “For the most part, we’ve crossed off games that people want to play. There’s always going to be a notable exception here or there. — At this point the stuff that’s left is work per title, every title now is almost a one-off. Right now we have to think, are we really going to do 300 one-off titles? I know it’s not exactly the answer everyone wants to hear, but I feel like it’s time.”

He then told Kotaku that, outside of Halo 2, internal data points to low numbers of backward compatible games being played on Live, with BC updates “not being downloaded that much anymore.” — Here’s an idea Microsoft, how about doing the top 5 or top 10 most requested Xbox games that are left? Problem solved.

Xbox Originals are already starting to be added to with next Monday, January 14th, seeing the addition of Burnout 3: Takedown to the list of Xbox Originals. Good move in light of Burnout Paradise being released the week after on January 22nd. Burnout 3 will be release worldwide, except for Japan, at a price of 1400 Microsoft Points (that’s US$17.50 / €16.80 / £11.90 / CAN$21.70 / AU$23.10). It’s not yet clear if the by EA-supported servers online functionality (that went offline long ago) will be revived for this re-release.

5 June 2008 17:31
ffbad

well i guess i wont get rid of my old xbox now ….

9 June 2008 04:19
bob

so now we have to pay for the games we have already payed for?

great thinking ms.

21 July 2008 08:12
Jay

Unbelievable! Ive been waiting at least 3 years for The xbox team to get F1 Career Challenge Backward Compatible and now i find out why there taking so long, and was Barbie horse Adventures more important than other games i think not! what a load of bull

26 September 2008 17:35
jordan

so gutted when i found the suffering was playable, yet the sequel wasn’t added to XO, it was such a good game

25 October 2008 06:34
aminur

argh!!! ive just bought prince of persia warrior within hoping to be on da list only to find that thier not updating the list. i hope it will be on the xbox originals market place

2 November 2008 12:46
nate

At least three cult classics aren’t on the list:
Stranger’s Wrath, Otogi and Otogi 2. They weren’t well known, but they were among the best games on the xbox.

21 November 2008 17:10
Brian

Midtown madness 3 and ssx tricky, thats all I ask for… I sold all my other games, but kept those in hopes that I could play them again some day…

3 December 2008 12:56
Ryan

God this is horse shit. Iv’e got about 30 games and only about 10 are backwards compatable, And that microsoft says Is a “notqable exeption” This afted the whole Hd dvd fiasco. God i wish we could start a class action lawsuit against these money hungry whores, for deception if nothiing else. Should have bought a ps3.

19 December 2008 04:57
qake

i agree with ryan…

this is ridiculous! give me xmen legends!!

if they’re going to market the xbox 360 with “backwards compatibility” they should make it fully backwards compatible! i am going back to playstation…worthless microsoft dbags.

5 February 2009 06:49
Max

Well microsoft I hope you know what your doing because I knew at least 13 friends who were thinking of buying xbox 360’s to play xbox as well as xbox 360 games. But now that you have done this none of my friends are to happy and they are’nt going to buy it and there going to tell there friends not to buy it to. So really this was a stupid move but if you think its a good one ok go ahead. But taking away the ability to play classic xbox games like cel damage is stupid. So I hope you know what you’ve done this has just cost you alot of customers.