Microsoft is pulling the plug on Project Spark’s online services

Some sparks grow into a fire, an others get snuffed out.

Microsoft is shutting down the game-creation sandbox Project Spark. It will no longer appear in the Xbox or Windows Store. If you already downloaded the free game, Microsoft is planning to cut off its online services August 12. You can still play the game after that, but you won’t have access to anything stored in the cloud. Microsoft is also promising to take “steps” to anyone who purchased Project Spark before it went free-to-play. This is the latest closure for Microsoft as it tries to maximize the return on its investment in the $99.6 billion gaming industry. It recently also canceled production of Fable Legends and shuttered Lionhead Studios.