Microsoft Gives DLC Early Adopters One Week Free Service

By Ryan Fleming April 5, 2010

Less than one week ago, thousands of eager-eyed Xbox Live users rushed online to shell out the $15 for the new Modern Warfare 2 “Stimulus Package” DLC, only to discover connectivity issues, problems with the matchmaking, and repeated dropped games. It was soon apparent that there were technical issues across the board, and patience- not a virtue typically associated with online first person shooter gamers- would be needed.

Xbox Live spokesperson Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb quickly confirmed that, “Matchmaking is in a bad state on Xbox Live right now. We’re working on it and will resolve it as quickly as we can.” Within hours a new update was released, and connectivity saw an immediate improvement. According to the Xbox Live operations blog, the issue was simply a matter of releasing the necessary- and planned- title update after the DLC, instead of before.

One week on, Microsoft has announced that it will be issuing seven days of free Xbox Live to existing Gold account members that purchased the DLC on day-one. But not as an apology. Hryb confirmed to IGN that the offer was to thank buyers for their loyalty to Xbox Live.

Despite the obvious lack of any mention regarding the connectivity issues, the refund is a nice gesture, although it equates to roughly $1.86 in savings for purchasers of the $15 DLC.

Account holders will be notified via their Xbox Live profiles that they are eligible for the free week. The credit will reach accounts during the May 1st billing cycle.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…

Gaming

Volgarr the Viking 2 will take you back to your Ghosts ‘n Goblins days

A viking slashes a tree in Volgarr the Viking 2.

Developer Digital Eclipse is working on a surprising project: Volgarr the Viking 2. The 2D retro sequel will launch on August 6 for PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

The news is an out of left field reveal. The first Volgarr the Viking game released in 2013 and was made as an ode to 1080s classics like Ghosts 'n Goblins. Despite being a small release, it sold over 1 million copies over the past decade. As revealed during today's Guerrilla Collective stream, the series is coming back with a new sequel by Digital Eclipse, the team behind this year's Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story.

Gaming

3 Days of Play PS Plus games to try this weekend (June 7-9)

Key art for Streets of Rage 4.

June 2024 is shaping up to be a pretty great month for PlayStation players. Not only are we coming off an entertaining State of Play showcase, but a new Days of Play initiative surrounding all the video game showcases this month is bringing a lot of new PS Plus additions with it. Many of those games hit PS Plus this week, and three in particular stand out to us.

For owners of Sony's oft-neglected PlayStation VR2, the first game is one of its rare exclusives that take full advantage of the headset's eye-tracking by seeing how often players blink. The next is a new PS Plus Essential game that's a revival of Sega's classic beat-'em-up series for the modern gaming era. Finally, the last title is an atmospheric and eerie fishing game that should entice fans of Lovecraftian horror.
Before Your Eyes

Gaming

3 first-party Xbox Game Pass games to try this weekend (June 7-9)

Gears 5 Kait Hero Close Up

Microsoft will hold an Xbox Games Showcase and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Direct. this Sunday. These shows will provide a much better idea of what to expect from Xbox over the course of the next year or two. That's really needed right now, as Microsoft has struggled to keep online discussions around Xbox positive as it went multiplatform with some games, laid off thousands of developers, and outright shut down the developers of Hi-Fi Rush and Redfall. Based on leaks and my personal expectations for the showcase, there are three games you can play on Xbox Game Pass this weekend to prepare for the event.

The first is the latest first-person shooter in a long-running series by id Software that might be getting a medieval-set spinoff. After that, we have the fifth entry in a sci-fi Xbox series that still looks fantastic on Xbox Series X/S even though it came out in 2019. Finally, you can prepare for Avowed with the latest RPG from Obsidian Entertainment, a satirical sci-fi game where player choice is critical.
Doom Eternal