- Microsoft clarifies that physical discs should not have stopped working during the Xbox outage; entitlement checks failed to read licenses correctly.
- Microsoft is already working on releasing an update to address the entitlement check issue, but has not provided a timeline.
Microsoft has addressed the recent Xbox server outage that left players unable to access disc-based games, clarifying that physical discs should not have stopped working.
The outage, which lasted for a day, was attributed to an issue with entitlement checks. "Disc-based entitlement checks should not prevent players from accessing their games and this is by design," said Microsoft tech chief Scott Van Vliet.1
Van Vliet explained that the team discovered a problem that prevented consoles from correctly using saved entitlements during the outage.
Xbox relied on an external provider for license and entitlement checks, which meant that when consoles failed to connect to those servers, players were locked out from accessing their games.
Microsoft is currently working on an update to address this issue, although a timeline for its release has not been provided.
The impact of this discovery could be significant, especially as tensions rise regarding the reliability of physical media in gaming.
“Microsoft is actively working on an update to resolve the entitlement check issue affecting Xbox users, although no specific timeline has been provided. This clarification comes as users reported problems with physical discs not functioning during the outage.”
