Modern Warfare 2 update dissevers Xbox users

An update to blockbuster game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which disconnected gamers from Microsoft’s Xbox live service, has been fixed.

The problem was caused by the release of the Stimulus Package, an update for the game which contained new levels.

Gamers who purchased the update found they were unable to log on to the online service to play the game.

Microsoft has said that it has now resolved the issue, although admitted there were still other problems.

“We have deployed a title update via Xbox LIVE which has resolved the issue, and the content is now functioning properly,” a spokesperson said.

“We are also aware of some other service issues that some are experiencing related to billing and match-making that we are working to resolve quickly.”

The game was the best-selling videogame of 2009 in the UK, according to industry body Elspa. It was one of only a handful of games to make more than $1bn (£625m) worldwide.

The Stimulus Package adds five new maps to the multiplayer version of the game.

This whole ‘online gaming’ thing is big, especially with a segment of the population that spends a disproportionate amount of its time online, so when an event of some magnitude occurs in the world of ‘online gaming,’ you can be sure there are going to be a few ripples felt throughout Mother Internet.

Case in point: the new downloadable content (DLC) for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 releases today. Entitled the Stimulus Package, the DLC has probably already wound its way onto the hard drives of quite a few enthusiast Xbox 360 players, but that hasn’t stopped the subject from hitting the top of the aggregator of popular topics, Google Trends, for searches in the US (at the time of writing).

The game (Modern Warfare 2) and subjects related to the game (Infinity Ward) occupy a further four spots on Google Trends, three of which are in the top five.