Xbox Outage: Users Couldn’t Access Madden or Their Entire Game Libraries

Imagine coming home from a long day at work, excited to load up and play the G.O.A.T Edition of Madden 18 on Xbox One, only to find the game doesn’t load and the other games on your console won’t load, either.

You don’t need to imagine as that was harsh reality for many Xbox One users who pre-ordered the G.O.A.T edition of Madden 18.

The official Xbox Support site stated Xbox Live Core Services and Content Usage were “limited” – making no mention of Madden. However, the Xbox Support Twitter stated the problem was possibly Madden related, a fact backed up by the onslaught of tweets regarding the issue.

This was a particularly cruel twist of fate as those affected are the most die-hard Madden fans, paying $79.99 for Ultimate Team bonuses and for the ability to play the newest Madden several days early – and couldn’t access either for several hours.

But it wasn’t just them. It seems most Xbox gamers couldn’t access their gaming library either – meaning, in essence, it’s possible Madden fans paid ten dollars extra to have the early release of a highly anticipated game literally ruin everybody’s fun, affecting game playing ability for Xbox owners across the country.
Talk about a personal foul.

So while it appeared this is a Madden-related issue, the problem was everyone’s.

Traditional troubleshooting methods like turning the console off entirely, removing and re-adding your account, and blowing into the system yielded zero positive results.

Apps like Netflix, the WWE Network, HBO GO, and the ability to download game updates appeared to remain intact for most users.

However, going offline from the console’s Network Settings would let you access and play games – without online functionality, of course.

This allowed folks to play Franchise and the much-touted ‘Longshot’ story mode in Madden, though Ultimate team and those pre-order bonuses waited for the issue to be resolved.

It is possible the issue was unrelated to the G.O.A.T edition’s early release – as Madden’s 10 hour trial via EA Access went off without a hitch, and launch night seemed to go swimmingly as well. Many players dove into Ultimate Team and played complete games online, but something clearly went wrong, server side, between then and the time of the outage, and the biggest variable is the influx of Madden players and downloads.

You may remember when the Xbox One was first announced in 2013, the system was designed to be online-only, requiring an always-on Internet connection. Despite the strides made, it’s clear, even from a company as legendary as Microsoft, that a world of always on connectivity isn’t quite perfect yet – and it hurts when we don’t have it.

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