RIP: Xbox 360 gets its final red ring of death

The Xbox 360 has had a long storied history of establishing Microsoft as a household name in the game console world, overheating units and a ton of redesigns. However, that story is finally coming to a close.

In a blog post, Microsoft's head of Xbox Phil Spencer announced announced it is ending production of the console after more than a decade since its initial launch.

"Xbox 360 means a lot to everyone in Microsoft, and while we've had an amazing run, the realities of manufacturing a product over a decade old are starting to creep up on us," Spencer wrote in a statement. "Which is why we have made the decision to stop manufacturing new Xbox 360 consoles."

For the foreseeable future Microsoft plans to sell its existing inventory of Xbox 360 consoles, of which availability will vary across different countries. Microsoft has also vowed to keep Xbox Live services running on the outgoing console, allowing users to play multiplayer, form parties as well as Xbox Live store specials through Games with Gold and Deals with Gold.

Originally launched in November 2005, the Xbox 360 has sold more than 80 million units. It established Microsoft in the console world and game franchises like Gears of War and Forza. The console also saw more hardware revisions than most platforms

Of course, the Xbox 360 had its share of issues with overheating consoles and the dreaded three rings of red death that accompanied it.

The news is inevitable as Microsoft has shifted its focus on pushing the Xbox One. Even after a decade and this latest development, the 360's spirit will live on through backwards compatibility on current generation systems and Xbox games available on Windows 10.

• The 10 best backwards-compatible Xbox 360 games you can now play on Xbox One