Last week, Sony restricted PlayStation download speeds in Europe and did the same in America two days later in order to reduce strain on the Internet. Now, Microsoft will be doing the same — and your Xbox One game updates might be arriving a little later.
The Verge reports that Microsoft has seen unprecedented demand for its cloud services, a portion of which naturally includes Xbox Live, game updates, and the like. A blog post from the Azure team notes that they've seen a massive 775% increase in usage in regions where people are stuck at home.
As a consequence of this spike in usage, Microsoft is reducing or changing functionality across many of their services, and this means that you're probably going to have to wait on getting your Xbox One game updates.
How Will the Xbox One Game Updates Changes Affect You?
The average Xbox One gamer probably doesn't make much use of Microsoft Azure cloud services or anything like that. That said, they're still going to be feeling some effects from these changes.
The first notable change is mentioned on the beta Xbox Support website:
As people look to gaming for social connection, we’re seeing record numbers across Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Live, and Mixer. To streamline moderation and ensure the best experience for our community, we’re making small adjustments. We've temporarily turned off the ability to upload custom gamerpics, club pics, and club backgrounds.
That's not all, though. Microsoft is working with game publishers to adjust when Xbox One game updates will be served to customers. So far, the plan is to let game updates go out during off-peak hours when the Internet is less stressed overall.
At the worst, this means that you might have to wait 12 or so hours longer to get a game update compared to the usual time. Much like the PlayStation changes, however, it will be a mild inconvenience at worst during this trying time.
Read more about how the COVID-19 novel coronavirus is affecting the gaming world at our Coronavirus Gaming Convention Cancellations and Game Delays Hub.
What do you think about Microsoft delivering Xbox One game updates at later hours to reduce server stress? Are you disappointed that you'll have a longer wait for new content? Let us know in the comments below!
