It's been a torrid couple of weeks for Xbox with another round of layoffs, studio closures and several game cancellations. A less consequential, but still notable, change has just been implemented: users will no longer be able to purchase movies or television shows from the Xbox or Microsoft storefronts.
As of today, these digital storefronts have been shuttered (thanks, The Verge). Users will still be able to access their library of previously purchased content, but the ability to purchase new media has been removed. You'll also have to continue using the app to access this content, as you can't simply export it elsewhere.
The original iteration of the service was launched in 2006, before it became the "Movies & TV" app in 2015. After another decade, Microsoft is finally pulling the plug on the service. There are a myriad of other entertainment libraries available on both Xbox and Windows, so Microsoft is likely just relying on more popular services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ and others to satiate users' entertainment needs.
This isn't too surprising. Although the Xbox (and other consoles) was at one time envisioned as the entertainment centrepiece of the living room, the advent of smart televisions ultimately...
