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.

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.

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.

In conversation with All Things Xbox, Team Dakota studio manager Michael Saxs Persson talked about Project Spark – the Kinect compatible content creation game – and the number of directions it can go. As Persson puts it, the game will continue to evolve and spawn creations that will rival commercial games.

“We look at Project Spark as a game that will never truly be finished. The directions we can take the game are nearly infinite, and we plan on continuing to grow and evolve the game over time, based on input from our community.”

Spark is still in the beta phase but that doesn’t mean marvels aren’t being seen already. “We’ve already seen the community create some truly amazing levels. Stuff that is already starting to rival games on the market today, after just over a month in beta.

“Are there still things we can do to make it easier for people to learn, sure, and we’re working on that. But at the fundamental level, people really ‘get’ Project Spark, and are already exceeding our expectations in what they’re creating. The most frequently heard phrase in the office is, ‘How did they create THAT?’”

Project Spark will be out this year for Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC.

Earlier today we got our first look at the intro of the  beta version of Project Spark. Project spark is a Microsoft exclusive game which is planned for release across Xbox 360, Xbox One and Microsoft windows. The game was announced a t E3 2013, and registration for beta version began in June of 2013.

One of Project Spark’s main draws is its cross-platform functionality, which allows for gamers to cloud save and play the game through a variety of Microsoft specific mediums. This current beta is for the Windows 8 version. No plans for a 360 beta have been announced at this time.

From the trailer, Project Spark looks to be a uniquely immersive gaming experience, in which the player has a large degree of control over their own game play experience. The player has the ability to make movies, make games, and even customize the map topography.

@HeadBuster82 @proj_spark beta for Win 8 is in cert now, will be out very soon. X1 in early 14 followed by a huge wave a user gen games.

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) November 20, 2013

Interestingly, the Xbox One beta in January 2014 will be followed by “a huge wave of user generated games”. Considering that you can create, play and share your machinations with others, this will certainly ensure a huge amount of content right out of the gate. Project Spark sadly doesn’t have a beta for Xbox 360.

It also lacks a solid release date but we’re betting on Q1 to Q2 release for the Xbox exclusive. What are your thoughts on the game? Let us know below.

Interestingly, according to Team Dakota’s Project Spark Community Manager Mike Lescault on a recent Reddit thread, you won’t require an Xbox Live Gold subscription for the Xbox One version. “You do not need an Xbox Live Gold account to play Project Spark,” he stated in this thread.

As of now, that’s for the Xbox One version, with Project Spark also releasing for PC and Xbox 360. We expect it to be the same for the latter, but we’ll wait for more information. Project Spark is slated to be released next year, with a more definitive release date to be announced.