Social distancing drives ‘record numbers’ for Xbox Live and Game Pass

Microsoft says Xbox Live, Game Pass and Mixer have seen record usage as citizens across the globe practice social distancing to help combat the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

In order to accommodate dramatically increased usage, the company has temporarily adjusted some service features, such as disabling custom gamerpic uploads and scheduling the release of game updates during off-peak hours.

“As people look to gaming for social connection, we’re seeing record numbers across Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Live, and Mixer,” says Microsoft.

“To streamline moderation and ensure the best experience for our community, we’re making small adjustments. We’ve temporarily tune off the ability to upload custom gamerpics, club pic, and club backgrounds.”

Microsoft says it has seen a 775 percent increase in demand for its cloud services in regions where social distancing or shelter in place orders are in effect.

“We’re actively monitoring performance and usage trends to ensure we’re optimizing services for gamers worldwide.

“At the same time, we’re taking proactive steps to plan for high-usage periods, which includes taking prudent measures with our publishing partners to deliver higher-bandwidth activities like game updates during off-peak hours.”

Gaming platforms have seen a surge in activity in recent weeks, as governments across the world advise citizens to stay at home and avoid socialising.

Xbox and Nintendo online services recently experienced downtime, with Microsoft confirming its own outage was due to increased demand. On PC, Valve’s Steam platform has seen record player numbers too.

PlayStation also recently confirmed it has slowed download speeds in a bid to reduce demand caused by people staying at home due to the coronavirus pandemic.