EQUIPThe Verge · 4d ago
Xbox’s huge outage even blocked games on disc
Executive Brief
The 30-second read
A widespread Xbox service outage recently disabled access to both digital content and physical disc-based games. Executives should evaluate the risks of hardware ecosystems that require persistent server authentication for local media playback.
- 01System failures prevented users from logging in or launching local applications and physical discs
- 02Xbox status reports confirmed service disruptions began Sunday evening and lasted several hours
- 03The outage highlights critical vulnerabilities in cloud-dependent DRM for offline physical media
- 04Extended downtime restricted access to core gaming and media functions for global users
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An extended Xbox outage that began Sunday evening didn't just cause issues for people trying to play digital games - it blocked people from playing their disc-based games, too. Xbox's status page initially reported the outage on Sunday at about 11PM ET, and it also prevented people from logging in, launching apps, or finding games […]