Developer | Microsoft |
---|---|
Type | Digital distribution |
Launch date | November 2005 (Xbox 360) November 2008 (PC) November 2013 (Xbox One) |
Platform |
Xbox 360 Microsoft Windows Xbox One |
Website |
Xbox 360 Marketplace Xbox One Game Store |
Xbox Games Store (formerly Xbox Live Marketplace) is a digital distribution platform used by Microsoft's Xbox One and Xbox 360 video game consoles. The service allows users to download or purchase video games (including both Xbox Live Arcade games and full Xbox One and Xbox 360 titles), add-ons for existing games, game demos along with other miscellaneous content such as gamer pictures and Dashboard themes.
The service also previously offered sections for downloading video content, such as films and television episodes; as of late 2012, this functionality was superseded by Xbox Music and Xbox Video (now known as Groove Music and Microsoft Movies & TV respectively).
On September 12, 2013, a technical problem caused many games and applications in the store to be delisted. Additionally, a live event that was scheduled to be broadcast on Xbox Live had to be cancelled, as the Live Event Player was unavailable to download due to the glitch.
The Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) branding encompasses digital-only games that can be purchased from Xbox Games Store on the Xbox 360, including ports of classic games and new original titles.
The Games on Demand section of Xbox Games Store allows users to purchase downloadable versions of Xbox 360 titles, along with games released for the original Xbox. Most of all, some of delisted downloadable contents of the respective Xbox 360 games are also included on this edition.
As part of the "New Xbox Experience" update launched on November 19, 2008, Microsoft launched Xbox Live Community Games, and later renamed to "Xbox Live Indie Games", a service similar to Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA), with smaller and less expensive games created by independent developers and small studios. Such games are added to the service after successfully passing through a peer review system that prevents inappropriate content from appearing in games and ensures that games meet certain technical standards and do not misrepresent their content.