It looks like Microsoft’s attempt to allow users to create their own worlds and levels, in the vein of Sony and Media Molecule’s LittleBigPlanet series, really didn’t work out. As announced before, Project Spark‘s servers are shutting down today, as of 5pm Eastern/4pm Central/2pm Pacific.

This means that as of 5pm today, you can no longer access any community creations- if you want to play them, you need to download them and store them locally before then. Achievements for the game will also be offline by then. This server takedown applies to both, the Xbox One and PC versions of the game.

Project Spark, which was made available to users as a beta, never took off quite that much, but it had a pretty dedicated fan following who are doubtless bummed about the takedown. Hopefully Microsoft has something similar in the works to serve as a replacement to this.

Team Dakota’s Project Spark will be pulled from the Xbox Live Marketplace and Windows Store later today.

The part-game, part-game creation toolset launched in March 2014 and saw a variety of updates, content packs and so on released over its lifespan. It became a free downloadable game in October 2015 even as the studio stopped developing content a month prior.

You’ll still be able to play offline if you already own the game but online services won’t be available after August 12th. So head on over and download everything you want until then.

The developer also noted that, “We’re also aware that after transitioning Project Spark to be a free incubation engine last fall, that some players might still have purchased the game at retail, and have outlined steps about obtaining a credit.” This applies to those who purchased Project Spark after October 5th 2015 and before May 16th 2016.

The decision to end Project Spark was pretty straightforward – the development team had simply “moved to other projects within Microsoft Studios” according to community manager Thomas Gratz, making further updates impossible. Thoughts on the game going offline? Let us know in the comments.

A lot of fans have been expecting Microsoft to finally start utilizing the immense catalog of franchises that Rare has, and to bolster up their first party offerings accordingly. For a lot of them, this meant the return of some beloved Rare franchises, such as Banjo Kazooie, Battletoads, and Conker.

That last one especially has been something everyone has been expecting for a while- mostly because of all the teases and hints that Microsoft has been dropping (including the infamous Project Spark tease last E3). But in a recent series of exchanges on Twitter, Xbox’s head Phil Spencer confirmed that no Conker game was currently being worked on by Rare. What is more, no one is working on a Conker game right now- if your out had been hoping for another studio to revive the brand (similar to what happened with Killer Instinct), then you’ve lost that ground to stand on.

‘Rare is building something else, Spark community is creative, I’m looking forward to seeing what they build with the Conker assets,’ he said, referencing the repeated Conker related Project Spark teases. ‘Yes, [Rare are not working on a new Conker game],’ he stressed, just to make sure there was no ambiguity regarding his statement.

That said, he did say that Microsoft was not ruling out a return of everyone’s favorite foul mouthed squirrel some time in the future- ‘We didn’t say never, it’s just not being worked on right now by Rare or any other studio.’

Personally, I think that Microsoft should just stop screwing around and playing with people’s feelings if they have no immediate or foreseeable plans to bring back Conker. And I also wonder what exactly it is that Rare is working on.

Project Spark, Microsoft’s own take on user generated content (think of it as a cross between LittleBigPlanet and Minecraft… which Microsoft now also owns), was announced at E3 last year, and is now finally out as a free to play download on the Xbox One Xbox Live Store, and on the Windows Marketplace on Windows 8. The game’s launch follows a six month long beta, which saw more than 1 milion Project Spark creators log 4 million hours making 70,000 game levels that fans can dive into on day one.

If you don’t want to get the game digitally, Microsoft will also sell a retail version of the game for $40, which will have over $85 worth of content. If you do get it digitally, you can unlock bonus content and enhancements either by using in game credits that Microsoft promises are easy to earn, or by spending money and bypassing the process of actually earning the credits.

Project Spark looks great and it has the potential to blow up. Stay tuned to GamingBolt for more news on it.

Remember when we saw Project Spark for the first time and left with starry-eyed dreams of making our own little games? Well, for you creative types, you’ll be pleased to know that Project Spark has now officially left its beta testing stage and is ready to play on October 7th. The full build of the game is free for all to play, but additional tool sets and add on content is where the money lies, so if you expect to make a truly outstanding project come to life, you should expect to pay.

The developer has also vowed to support the game post launch and make sure it does launch with a number of added features and improvements. People that took part in the beta testing period will also receive special content. Will you be hopping aboard the Project Spark train next Tuesday on Xbox 360, Xbox One or PC? Let us know below.

With all the big-name games coming out in October, which includes Battlefield: Hardline, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, The Evil Within, Dragon Age: Inquisition and much more, it only makes sense to drop another name into the hat. Microsoft recently announced that its game creation toolset Project Spark is set to release on October 7th for PC and Xbox One.

The game can be downloaded for free but you can pick up different components to further add on to the experience. For the Xbox One, you’ll receive the base game at retail for $40 but this will also include the Galaxies: First Contact expansion, the Sir Haakon “Hawk” character and Champions Quest: Void Storm (the first episode in the campaign). Other content will be included that has to be picked up separately.

As for the Xbox 360 version, Microsoft told GameSpot that, “Our team is focused on creating a great experience on Xbox One and Windows 8.1 first, and will then bring that to Xbox 360. We don’t have a timeline to share right now, but it’s certainly on our roadmap.”

Thoughts? Let us know below.

Team Dakota could’ve gotten away with its initial E3 trailer for Project Spark, showcasing a creation tool suite that allows you to make and play tons of games with a variety of creators. It could’ve enticed us with the concept of cooperative play, huge galaxies and a wide span of titles all available for the taking.

But then they threw Conker in and told us we could make our own game with him.

That right there is a win if there ever was one.

Project Spark has been in beta for PC and Xbox One and is already available to download. It will also be out on the Xbox 360 though PC players will need Windows 8 installed to enjoy it (curse you Microsoft!). What are your thoughts on the game especially with Conker the Squirrel having made his return? Let us know in the comments below what you think and stay tuned for more information.

Update: Added Screenshots.

The Project Spark beta has been available on the Xbox one and Windows 8.1 PCs for a while now; but it is now available to everyone without the need for an invitation or a specific code on the Xbox One, as Project Spark enters open beta on that console. Everybody can now download the beta off of the Xbox Live Marketplace.

Project Spark is arguably the most interesting ‘exclusive’ coming to the Xbox One (or, well, any console) in the coming months- it is an accessible creation and sharing tool. Think the mod tools available to PC gamers, or the creation and sharing tools in LittleBigPlanet.

People have already used Project Spark to great effect to create some eye catchingly great things (see the montage above), so this could be a powerful addition to the Xbox One library.

Project Spark will launch on Xbox One and Windows 8.1 sometime later this year. Stay tuned for more coverage.

After being available on the PC, Team Dakota has finally announced the Project Spark beta for the Xbox One. It features support for Kinect, with the Performance Capture support allowing you to record custom animations and voice clips. You’ll be able to share your custom creations to both Xbox One and Windows 8 users, with the creations being saved to the Cloud.

This means that whether you have the Xbox One or PC version, you’ll be able to access custom creations regardless. This should certainly help broaden the appeal of the game as PC users who don’t want to purchase an Xbox One will be able to access tons of content regardless.

Project Spark allows users to create their own levels and standalone games using Kinect, with the voice commands and seamless interface allowing for quick creation (though it can also be played using the controller). It will be available this year for Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC.

Team Dakota’s Project Spark may be one of the more intriguing – and yet, mysterious – titles for the Xbox One. We’ve been hearing about a beta for the Xbox One but till now there’s been no real confirmation.

Microsoft Games Studios corporate VP Phil Spencer has revealed on Twitter that the Project Spark beta could arrive next week. At least, that’s what he last heard from Team Dakota. “Last they told me it was next week but @proj_spark will have latest info.”

The developer for its part is busy working through the various bugs and promises a launch some time this month. The Windows 8.1 closed beta began back in December and the game has been seemingly missing from the consoles since then. Players have been going about creating some truly astonishing things including sandbox title Minecraft.

Project Spark is slated to release for the Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC. No firm release date for the final game has been announced but stay tuned for more updates on the beta.