An Xbox console exclusive — which is to say a game only available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X — is being removed from sale permanently. The upcoming Microsoft Store delisting is specifically set to come on September 30 and is for a Bandai Namco game that was just released back in 2022. Given that the Bandai Namco game is only three years old, it is a pretty quick and unexpected delisting. However, the game has online elements. In fact, while not the sole part of the game, it does have multiplayer. This means it also has servers, which are costly to have and maintain. Not only do servers cost money just to exist, but they have to be watched over and maintained to prevent any backdoor hacking. To this end, it is often cheaper just to shutter an online game than it is to keep it going once the player count hits a certain point.
The Bandai Namco and Xbox exclusive game in question is Taiko no Tatsujin: The Drum Master, a rhythm game. Upon release in 2022, the Bandai Namco game garnered a solid 78 on Metacritic. Despite this, it seemingly sold very softly. This is evident by user review metrics and the silence on this front from Bandai Namco.
“Thank you for your continued support of ‘aiko no Tatsujin The Drum Master!,” reads an official statement from Bandai Namco on the matter. “Regarding Taiko no Tatsujin The Drum Master! for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Windows PC, sales of the main game will end on Tuesday, September 30, 2025 at 11:59 PM. “We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all our customers for their continued support and thank you for your understanding.
Bandai Namco notes that any DLC for the game will remain purchasable beyond this September 30 date. Meanwhile, and as always, the game itself will continue to be downloadable. In other words, you don’t have keep it in your library, and will be rather be able to download it and play it whenever, minus the online content, which will cease to exist.
Whether the Xbox console exclusive game will be put on sale before it is removed, we do not know. Bandai Namco does not say one way or another. This does often happen, but right now it is its full price of $49.99.
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