Halo - The Master Chief Collection
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Update: (Sat 11th Apr, 2020 11:25 BST): Everything appears to be back to normal! Xbox Support tweeted the following in regards to party and chat issues:


Original Story: (Sat 11th Apr, 2020 07:15 BST): At this point, we've honestly lost count of how many times Xbox Live has experienced technical difficulties in recent weeks, but what we can tell you is that it's happened again. For hours on end now, the Xbox Support Twitter account has been reporting multiple issues – with users unable to create accounts, join parties and even play online multiplayer.

While some of these problems appear to have been resolved, the teams are still investigating certain other issues. Adding to this, there are users who are still apparently having difficulties playing online.

Earlier this week, we ran a story about how Xbox download speeds had become noticeably slower. It appears to all be tied to the pressure the service is currently experiencing due to people around the globe self-isolating. Microsoft has even acknowledged the problem on a number of occasions, and at the end of last month said the Xbox team was "actively monitoring performance and usage trends" and "optimizing the service" to improve conditions.

So, how's Xbox Live been on your end over the past 24 hours? Have you experienced any hiccups connecting to online matches, joining parties, creating accounts or downloading games? Tell us below.

[source twitter.com]