Microsoft drops subscription $99 Xbox 360 offer

US customers are no longer able to purchase an Xbox 360 for $99 as part of an Xbox Live subscription offer.

Wall Street Journal reports that the deal, which was introduced in May 2012 and emulated the pricing structure offered by mobile phone operators, was actually discontinued last July.

"This program was intended to be a pilot experiment from the start, and Microsoft routinely adjusts the mix of offers available to its customers and this change was simply standard business practice," Microsoft spokesman David Dennis said.

Microsoft had previously described the new sales model as pivotal to its business” and had even hinted at a possible roll-out in the UK market.

However, Xbox One arrived without any such hint of the program, although some mobile operators took it upon themselves to emulate the deal.