Microsoft is sorry, have a free game
January 4th, 2008 |
Xbox Live users saw a number of hiccups in the online service over the holiday season, and Microsoft is stepping forward to compensate for that.
The network problems were caused by an increase in Xbox Live activity. That’s not particularly surprising — the last quarter of 2007 saw at least four major game releases on the console: Halo 3, Call of Duty 4, Mass Effect and Assassin’s Creed. The multiplayer in the first two is certainly enough to stress the service. (Actually, the multiplayer in the first one is probably enough.) With a big rush of new members and record-setting numbers of players using the service, Microsoft wasn’t quite prepared. The official word came down through the Xbox site:
“As a result of this massive increase in usage we know that some of you experienced intermittent Xbox Live issues over the holiday break. While the service was not completely offline at any given time, we are disappointed in our performance.”
Microsoft is giving gamers a free Xbox Live Arcade game to make up for the service interruptions. These $10-15 games, of course, include your standard Tetris and Bejeweled along with classics like Street Fighter II and Sonic the Hedgehog. Details on how Xbox Live members can claim their free game will be announced within the next few weeks.
I say kudos to Microsoft for doing something to make up for this. Network glitches in online games aren’t a rarity, but this kind of reaction is, especially considering how the service wasn’t completely crippled or offline. This definitely beats the typical ‘We’re sorry for the inconvenience” line.
#1 Jamaipanese
January 4th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
great xbox site you have here, keep it up!
I just finished playing Bioshock…review coming soon on my blog
#2 Colin Temple
January 4th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Thanks! Bioshock is an excellent game, one of my favorites of the year for sure.
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