Author: Olivia Carter

After nearly 20 years, the Xbox 360 has been fully retired. Its digital storefront, which opened alongside the console's launch in 2005, is now closed.Microsoft previously announced the marketplace would shut down late last year. Players can no longer buy games, DLC, or movies for the console, but anything bought prior to the closure can be re-downloaded to Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S.The end of the marketplace puts a final bow on the console. Throughout its lifetime, the Xbox 360 helped define the Xbox brand, thanks to Xbox Live, the dashboard (and its many evolutions), and key games like 1 vs. 100 and Gears of War.

The 360 gave Xbox more wins than it knew what to do with

How big was the Xbox 360? Call of Duty had a multi-year exclusivity deal for DLC maps stretched across multiple games, a practice that transitioned over to PlayStation and has now led to Microsoft owning the popular franchise.Changes and add-ons like the Xbox Live Arcade, Kinect, Avatars, and New Xbox Experience helped turn the console into a more c…

Within two weeks, the Early Access horror game Murky Divers has sold 100,000 copies after its launch in mid-June.Per publisher Oro Interactive, the underwater co-op title has been a successful debut for it and developer Embers. It's such a get that founder Sam De Boeck said Oro will focus on "catchy, content-creator-focused games."De Boeck specifically noted the publisher's interest in horror. No doubt this is inspired by the success of fellow scary co-op games Content Warning and Lethal Company, both of which have seen commercial and viral success this year.For potential partners, De Boeck said Oro will take a "smaller-than-usual" revenue share. Citing Kowloon Nights' business strategy, Oro will have no recoupment period and revenue goes to the developer first.That last point is particularly noteworthy since not all publishers (big or small) are transparent with where the revenue goes. In May, EA reportedly diverted all of Immortals of Aveum's net revenue to developer Ascendant Studios, but that information was later scrubbed and not mentioned again."[Developers] keep IP and sequel rights, and creative and business decisions are theirs …

Sales for Ironwood Studios' Pacific Drive have exceeded 600,000 copies. The developer revealed the news alongside its release of the game's first post-launch content.Ironwood's debut title first launched back in late February for PlayStaton 5 and PC to strong reviews. CEO and creative director Alex Dracott said the studio was "blown away" by Pacific Drive's new milestone, and thanked players for the response."It is a testament to the hard work of everyone at Ironwood Studios," he wrote. "None of this would be possible without [player] support, and we’re thankful for the chance to continue supporting Pacific Drive and improving their experience."Ahead of the game's release, Game Developer chatted with Dracott on its survival roguelike design. We also got behind the wheel with technical artst Karl Kohlman about the VFX software Houdini and using its pipeline for procedural generation.Months later in May, we spoke with director Seth Rosen about Ironwood's efforts to give a soul to the station wagon players use to get around Olympic Exclusion Zone.…