Microsoft discontinues support for Project Spark

Microsoft has announced that it will be discontinuing support for creation tool Project Spark, removing user created content and removing the game from the Xbox store.

In a statement released on Friday, May 13, the publisher revealed that Spark would be taken down from sale on the same day, with the online services available until August 12. Any content downloaded locally will still be available.

"This was an extremely difficult decision for our team that we do not take lightly," the statement reads. "When 'Project Spark' transitioned away from active development last fall, many of our team members moved to other projects within Microsoft Studios. While this means there have been no layoffs at Microsoft, it also means it's simply no longer feasible to continue the behind-the-scenes work involved with keeping 'Project Spark' up and running with meaningful updates and bug fixes, so we have come to this hard decision."

Project Spark was an interesting move for Microsoft, but obviously hasn't proven successful enough to warrant long term investment. Used to create movies, games and other experiences, Spark was thought by some to be a move in the direction of the promised "every Xbox is a dev kit" announcement made by Microsoft during the initial reveal of the One at E3.