Microsoft to stop Xbox 360 production

Attendees look at the Microsoft Xbox 360 at the 2013 E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo. Microsoft says it will stop making the console - the Xbox One replacement was launched in 2013. Photo / Getty

Microsoft Corp says it will stop production of its popular Xbox 360 video game console, which helped the company gain a firm foothold in the market.

It said in a blog post it would continue to sell existing inventory of the consoles, and that it would continue to provide customer support.

More than 80 million units of the console have been sold since it was launched in 2005.

Xbox 360 also introduced Microsoft's Kinect motion-sensing game device.

It was the company's primary gaming console, until it launched the Xbox One in 2013.

Sales of older-generation consoles, such as the Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3, have been declining as consumers shift to newer versions of the consoles from the companies.

"While we've had an amazing run, the realities of manufacturing a product over a decade old are starting to creep up on us," said Phil Spencer, the head of Microsoft's Xbox division.

- Reuters