- Microsoft said on Wednesday that it was investigating an Xbox Live service outage as players reported log-in issues and problems with game updates.
- Multiple players reported seeing an all-black screen when booting up their Xbox One, leading some to think their video game console was broken.
- Xbox Live routinely goes down for maintenance, but it’s rarely down unexpectedly.
Microsoft said on Wednesday that it was investigating multiple service issues with Xbox Live, as players around the world reported log-in problems, failed game updates, and error messages on Xbox consoles.
According to the official service status webpage, Xbox Live Core Services was limited at 1:12 p.m. ET. A third-party website, Down Detector, showed an influx of reports starting at 12:46 p.m.
On Twitter, Xbox support staff members said they were investigating the problems and would share more information as fixes are made.
Our engineers are actively investigating and working on the issues outlined in our initial post. In the meantime, keep an eye out on our Service Status page for updates while this issue is worked on: https://t.co/99xfLMWcZW https://t.co/NwHUySgBvL
— Xbox Support (@XboxSupport) January 30, 2019
Multiple people - including Business Insider's Ben Gilbert - reported that their Xbox One consoles booted up to a black screen during the Xbox Live service outage. A few gamers on Twitter said they worried their system had died when they saw a black screen with no error message.
R.I.P My beloved Xbox One.... gone but never forgotten ❤️
I've put you through some rough times over the years.
You've served us well 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/XAaIxr8y4Q
— Broontango (@BroontangoVlogs) January 30, 2019
When my xbox makes me panic because I thought something severe happened but then I find out everyone's having the same issue pic.twitter.com/Dwg0OHfIGl
— Josh (@Joshuag1295) January 30, 2019
Xbox Live is a necessity for playing Xbox games online, and some games require a connection to Xbox Live to be played at all. Live is also essential for a bunch of non-gaming apps, like Netflix and Twitch.
Thought my Xbox was broke. Was getting so pissed off. Then saw comments on a YouTube tutorial. Hoping they get it fixed. I was on Netflix went to go to the home page and it went to a black screen and wouldn't let me do anything. Does the same thing when I sign in. @Microsoft
— Jo ✌️✌️ (@3dgx) January 30, 2019
Xbox Live undergoes regular maintenance but is rarely down unexpectedly. Most outages last a few hours; Xbox Live's longest outage, during the 2007-08 holiday season, lasted 11 days.