Microsoft just shut down a lot of game emulators on Xbox consoles in retail mode

Microsoft is no longer looking the other way when it comes to users installing game emulators on its Xbox Series X and S consoles. Kotaku is reporting that Microsoft has shut down those emulators that play older games from other platforms when the Xbox consoles are in regular retail mode.

Twitter user “gamr13”, who released the RetroArch emulator frontend for the Xbox Series X and S, posted about the shutdown of his app this week by Microsoft, saying “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s been a good run.”

Ladies and gentlemen, it's been a good run.

But now we've no choice but to @Xbox @XboxP3 #LetUsEmulate pic.twitter.com/K9KO1p655K

— Gamr13 🇮🇪 (@gamr12) April 6, 2023

Until this week, users who downloaded game emulators that were uploaded to the Xbox store could still use them in retail mode, but now Microsoft has shut them down even if they were downloaded by users.

In a statement to Kotaku, a Microsoft spokesperson stated:

We continually evolve our mechanisms for reviewing and taking enforcement actions on content distributed to the Store to ensure alignment with our Microsoft Store Policies. Per 10.13.10, Products that emulate a game system or game platform are not allowed on any device family.

The article points out that if people put their Xbox console in Developer mode by paying a $20 fee, they can still use emulator apps. However, that option may not be available in every country.

There might be some future hope for emulation on Xbox devices. Another Twitter user posted the text of what was claimed to be an email from an Xbox QA employee. That employee allegedly wrote that Microsoft is “in talks with legitimate emulator developers to bring their software onto our platform”. Microsoft reportedly wants to make sure these apps are both secure and don’t violate the copyrights of others, according to the email.