Update: March 20th, 7 p.m. CDT
Some users have received Xbox Live messages stating the server closure date for both Snap Attack and AlphaJax is March 31st. However, every other official source, of which there are several — both games' Facebook pages, the official Xbox Support FAQ for each game and emails players have received — cites May 18th as the shutdown date.
Yesterday, we reached out to Xbox Support about this inconsistency to clarify the correct date but have not heard back.
So, please be aware there is a possibility the servers could close down as soon as March 31st. We hope that is not the case, and most of the announcements say otherwise. But without official confirmation from Microsoft, we can't be certain.
You can read the original article below:
Today, AlphaJax and Snap Attack received identical server closure announcements. Both games will be shutting down and will no longer generate puzzles beginning May 18th, 2018. Based on the information provided by Microsoft, we assume this will discontinue all of the achievements in every version of both games.
This message was posted on AlphaJax's and Snap Attack's respective Facebook pages (simply swap out the name of the game as the announcements were exactly the same):
Hello AlphaJax players, it is with heavy hearts that we have made the difficult decision to shut down the game. Sadly, the service has reached the end of its lifecycle and can no longer be supported to deliver the quality of experience you, the greatest fans, deserve.
We truly appreciate all the time and passion you’ve put into AlphaJax. This has been a great community and we are truly sad to see this game go away.
After May 18, 2018, you will no longer be able to play AlphaJax. Puzzles will no longer be served, leaderboards will stop working, and you will no longer be able to create new online games or continue existing online games.
We thank all of you, the AlphaJax community, for allowing us to be part of your gaming experience. We invite you to take a look at some of our more recent titles such as Microsoft Ultimate Word Games on Windows 10.
The FAQ pages for AlphaJax and Snap Attack give slightly different answers as to if each game can be played offline. However, the games need to connect to Xbox Live to earn achievements, so even though AlphaJax can technically be played offline while Snap Attack cannot according to its FAQ, that will be of no use to players hoping to earn achievements.
Can I still play Snap Attack offline?
Snap Attack cannot be played offline. If you uninstall Snap Attack from your device, you will not be able to download it again.
Can I still play Alphajax offline?
You can continue to play offline, however there will be no further updates to the game. If you uninstall Alphajax from your device, you will not be able to download it again.
It goes without saying as well that both games will be removed from digital stores at the same time, and, according to our records, almost all the versions had already been removed prior to this announcement (see the "Related Items" section in the top right corner of this news article for the full list of versions, and click on their respective pages to see availability). Despite the prior removals, achievements were still earnable for the most part; however, come May 18th, that feature will end as both AlphaJax and Snap Attack reach their end of life date.
Thank you to the members of the community who suggested this news article!