Microsoft Shuts Down Project Spark

Microsoft confirmed that video game creation title, "Project Spark", is being shut down. The game is no longer available to download, and its online services will be closed in August.

When Project Spark was revealed back at E3 2013, there were signs that the title was going to be remarkable. It offered a diverse and more complex video game creation toolset compared to rivals as LittleBigPlanet. Many had hoped the project would turn into something great, unfortunately, it seems that the experiment is coming to a close. Microsoft confirmed the game is being shut down.

As it turned out, Project Spark has been removed from both the Xbox Marketplace and the Windows Store, which means that it can no longer be downloaded by curious gamers. What's more, online services, such as accessing content that has been created by users will no longer be available as of 12 August 2016.

Gratz explained: "Without services, players will no longer be able to download user-generated contend or upload their own creations," he then added. "If you want to access user-generated content offline, you will need to download this content prior to 8/12/16. Be sure to download your favorite community creations and your own uploads if they are not saved locally." In the meantime, anyone who purchased a Project Spark starter pack, may be eligible for a refund, with users set to receive a credit to their Microsoft account.

Even though Project Spark is shutting down, there are going to be no layoffs due to staff members already being moved to other projects withing Microsoft Studious. This wasn't the case for other high-profile Microsoft closures such as Lionhead Studious, even though, people say that there were multiple buyers interested in this developer.

The running down of Project Spark doesn't come as a surprise. This tittle went completely free-to-play last fall, removing the previous starter pack and microtransaction pricing structure. This move also brought the additional content framed around the iconic 3D platform character Conker to an end.

Users of this platform will be extremely disappointed to see Project Spark facing closure, there is no doubt about that. Project Spark did manage to captivate the imagination of a few users, even with it flaws. In the end however, Microsoft has decided that resources are better spent elsewhere. Let's hope that Dreams, a creation title developed by Media Molecule, has better luck when it sees commercial release.