See my MS Answers post here.
So you may have heard Sony's thing on removing Discovery content from the end of this year.
Microsoft has been doing the same thing (mostly for free apps) for months.
It's super sad in my opinion, to see classics like Crossy Road go away. Some of you may think that's okay, some games need to be delisted however that's not the case.
Check out Forza Horizon 3. You might think it's a nice game, blah blah blah... but you can't buy it. That's because it's delisted. Nobody can buy it anymore. However, previous purchasers can still download it.
Now see Geometry Dash. Wait. You can't see it?
Geometry Dash has been fully removed from the Microsoft Store. Completely. Nobody can get it, even those who purchased it (I lost my precious £1.69)
This is the problem. Geometry Dash is an XAP, meaning it's not just an AppX file like most Microsoft Store apps. It's encrypted, like an encrypted AppX. EAppX files are encrypted and can't be unless you own the game. However, oh. The game is gone. Even the owners can't get it. And this has been happening with tons, HUNDREDS of games.
Crossy Road: https://www.microsoft.com/en-ke/p/crossy-road/9nblgggxzn4n
Hungry Shark Evo: https://www.microsoft.com/store/games/hungry-shark-evolution/9wzdncrfj4gb
(not advertising, just showing the page-removed unlike delisted games)
No game I'm pretty sure, has ever been removed from Microsoft's servers to-date. You can use a storegen to get any game.
Thanks for reading this, I just wanted to give you some insight!
So you may have heard Sony's thing on removing Discovery content from the end of this year.
Microsoft has been doing the same thing (mostly for free apps) for months.
It's super sad in my opinion, to see classics like Crossy Road go away. Some of you may think that's okay, some games need to be delisted however that's not the case.
Check out Forza Horizon 3. You might think it's a nice game, blah blah blah... but you can't buy it. That's because it's delisted. Nobody can buy it anymore. However, previous purchasers can still download it.
Now see Geometry Dash. Wait. You can't see it?
Geometry Dash has been fully removed from the Microsoft Store. Completely. Nobody can get it, even those who purchased it (I lost my precious £1.69)
This is the problem. Geometry Dash is an XAP, meaning it's not just an AppX file like most Microsoft Store apps. It's encrypted, like an encrypted AppX. EAppX files are encrypted and can't be unless you own the game. However, oh. The game is gone. Even the owners can't get it. And this has been happening with tons, HUNDREDS of games.
Crossy Road: https://www.microsoft.com/en-ke/p/crossy-road/9nblgggxzn4n
Hungry Shark Evo: https://www.microsoft.com/store/games/hungry-shark-evolution/9wzdncrfj4gb
(not advertising, just showing the page-removed unlike delisted games)
No game I'm pretty sure, has ever been removed from Microsoft's servers to-date. You can use a storegen to get any game.
Thanks for reading this, I just wanted to give you some insight!