Xbox Servers Are Back Up After Extended Downtime

Xbox's online servers went down on July 2, with some people reporting that they are having difficulty connecting to games and services on the platform. The issues were widespread and long-lived, as it took Microsoft hours to clear out the issues and get things working again.

As of 8:49 PM ET on July 2, however, Microsoft reported that the issues had been sufficiently addressed.

After initially making no mention of it, the official Xbox server status website said sign-in services were having a "major outage." With a server network as large as Xbox's, your mileage may vary, but many players were unable to log in. Microsoft's own game accounts acknowledged the server troubles. "We apologize for the inconvenience," Microsoft said.

The Xbox Support account said Microsoft is "aware that some users have been disconnected from Xbox Live." The company said it is "investigating" the matter. Just after 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET, it provided an update in which it said the "investigation is taking longer than expected."

The Xbox Network, formerly known as Xbox Live, experiences server hiccups and other connectivity issues on a semi-regular basis. However, this latest downtime was significant enough to trigger fans to take to social media to complain and express frustration.

The Call of Duty fan account CharlieIntel reported that Call of Duty's servers were among those affected by the issues today. Microsoft will no doubt hope to fix the issues quickly, as the Xbox Network is sure to be flooded with users in the coming days for the 4th of July weekend.

GameSpot will update this story as the server situation evolves, so keep checking back for the latest.

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