Microsoft and developer Team Dakota are killing off Project Spark, their game-making tool for Xbox One and Windows PC. Project Spark will no longer be available for download from the Xbox Store or Windows Store after today, May 13.
Online services, including the ability to download and upload user-generated content, will be unavailable after Aug. 12, according to an update posted to the Project Spark forums.
"This was an extremely difficult decision for our team that we do not take lightly," Team Dakota community manager Thomas Gratz said in a statement. "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."
Microsoft says it will offer credit that can be used in the Xbox or Windows Store to players who purchased a retail copy of Project Spark.
Project Spark was announced in 2013 for Xbox One and Windows 8. The application was designed to let fledgling game developers create whatever they want, then share and play those homemade games with the community. Last year, Microsoft and Team Dakota used Project Spark as a means to bring back Rare's mascot, Conker, in an episodic adventure.