Microsoft's Xbox Live services suffered outages over the weekend, keeping many gamers who have Early Access to Gears 5 from playing its multiplayer mode.
Xbox Live subscribers went on social media on Saturday, claiming that they were unable to sign-in to the service. The issue seemed to have affected access through Xbox One, Xbox on Windows 10, Xbox 360, and even Xbox on other devices.
While Microsoft's engineers and developers were quick to investigate and address the problem, many gamers couldn't help but feel disappointed at what they believe has been a recurring issue with Xbox Live lately.
Gears 5 Early Access
The incident was particularly frustrating for Gears 5 Early Access owners, who were looking forward to try out its multiplayer modes. Aside from the game's main campaign that can be played through online co-op, it also features competitive multiplayer as well as Horde and Escape modes.
Similar to earlier Gears of War entries, the new title's Horde mode has a group of up to five players goes up against multiple enemies. Gamers need to pick a spot on the multiplayer map, place their Fabricator box, and defend their position from hordes of baddies. The goal is to survive 50 waves of enemies, with each wave becoming more difficult than the previous one.
Players can upgrade their gear or buy new items via the Fabricator box. The in-game currency comes in the form of Power, which is dropped by defeated enemies.
Meanwhile, the new Escape mode sees a team of three Hivebusters tasked with clearing the map of all Locust presence. Players can choose their favorite character class, complete with skills and abilities unique to each character.
Just like in Horde mode, gamers fight against multiple enemies in Escape mode, with a particular focus on squad play. The only difference is that Escape mode requires players to be on the offensive instead of staying in one place and defending the position at all cost.
Gears 5 Server Issues
With such fast-paced and exciting new gameplay, one can only imagine the level of frustration Gears of Wars fans experienced because of the Xbox Live outage. This was on top of the server problems they had to endure during Gears 5's soft launch, which kept them from playing the game online for several hours following its release.
Gears 5 developer The Coalition acknowledged the server issue via Twitter, telling fans that its team is already working on a fix. The company has since released several game updates, which seem to have addressed the problem to an extent.
Some players were finally able to go online, but others claimed that they still experience difficulties connecting to the server.
