[UPDATE: Microsoft has identified and fix the issues. Xbox Live should be functioning properly again.]
For the third time in recent memory,XboxLive is down yet again, with reports affectingly nearly all core services. Matchmaking, Party chat, social, and gaming are currently impacted. However, purchase and content usage; TV, music, and video; web usages; and both Xbox 360 and Xbox One games are all still green lit. Microsoft is aware of the issue and currently investigating.
As with most cases, not everyone is currently experiencing the outage, and initial reports seem to indicate that is far less widespread than the last timeXbox servers went down. It still seems many are having trouble getting into parties, playing online, and/or are getting booted from online matches, and as such, it will likely be up within a matter of hours, at which time this article will be updated.
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As to why that Xbox Live has gone down so much recently, it has not been officially confirmed.Doom Eternalreleased today, which may be a factor, but it seems likely that many more are diving into its single-player campaign than they are the game’s multiplayer functionality. On the other hand,Call of Duty: Warzoneis picking up in popularity and player count. A lot of gamers are practicing Social Distancing, so it’s also possible due to the high influx on players in general, in addition to those checking out big multiplayer games on a Friday night.
After all, Xbox’s Phil Spencer recently confirmed thatXbox usage is up amidst the coronavirus pandemic, which makes a lot of sense. Spencer highlights how “play” is a fundamental human need, and with physical sports and gathering events cancelled, many are likely looking for a way to fill that need. Not that gamers need a reason to enjoy a game on Friday night; there just might be more behind it currently.
Regardless of the specific why, stuff like this is bound to happen. Anything with servers, evenXbox Live, will go down on occasion. What should be noted is Microsoft’s quick response to the outage and the hard work that goes into getting these back live.
