End of an era: Video game consoles no longer sell multimedia entertainment, only games

Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S users can no longer buy TV shows and movies as Microsoft strips away core console features and closes multimedia access.

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Derek Strickland

Senior Gaming Editor

Published Jul 18, 2025 2:32 PM CDT

1 minute & 15 seconds read time

TL;DR: Microsoft has permanently shut down its Xbox and Windows digital storefronts for purchasing TV shows and movies, ending nearly two decades of non-gaming media sales on consoles. Existing content remains accessible, but new purchases require subscriptions or physical media, reflecting a shift toward streaming and cost reduction.

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In a surprise move, Microsoft today abruptly shut down its digital entertainment storefront on Xbox and Windows, meaning users can no longer purchase TV shows and movies from Microsoft's stores. This marks the end of digital non-gaming media purchases on all video games consoles.

End of an era: Video game consoles no longer sell multimedia entertainment, only games 30

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Without any warning, Microsoft has ceased sales of TV shows and movies on its storefronts. Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S users can no longer buy or rent digital media--all existing purchases will be retained and can still be watched, however.

"Microsoft has stopped selling new movie and TV content. Existing customers can continue to access their previously purchased content on Windows and Xbox devices. Players can continue to play personal videos on Xbox devices. Windows customers can continue to have access to playback and the download functionality," reads an Xbox support article.

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The decision marks the end of an era at Microsoft, which has been selling non-gaming media on its Xbox platform for nearly two decades (TV shows and films first showed up on Xbox 360 in 2006).

The move also comes after Microsoft laid off thousands upon thousands of workers in a bid to push AI, and at a pivotal point where consumers are simply watching entertainment like TV shows and films natively through apps instead of consoles.

The shift allows Microsoft to reduce significant spending on store upkeep, spending on content licensing deals, and to also push consumers towards subscriptions because this content can no longer actually be purchased on the store--so if you do want to watch TV shows or films on Xbox, you have to subscribe to a service to do so, or buy a DVD (assuming your console has a disc drive, that is).

Sony removed TV shows and films from its PlayStation Store in 2021, and Microsoft's latest development means that no video games console on the market has the ability to buy TV shows or films.

This form of multimedia access is now closed to gaming consoles.