Online Issues were a "big hairball" for Microsoft.
by Jim Reilly 
March 31, 2010 - The launch of the first Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 map pack on Xbox Live, the Stimulus Package, was a little rocky to say the least. Users were initially reporting major connection issues and map glitches.
Microsoft explains on its official Operations Blog that the primary issue was the title update for the game being released after the Stimulus Package, which the company says was the incorrect order.
"Unfortunately, the Stimulus Package doesn't function correctly without the title update," Microsoft said. "Once they had been released out of order, it wasn't a simple thing for us to resolve."
"For a couple of hours the result was unpredictable but most people couldn't get into a game through matchmaking. In technical terms, it was a big hairball that we had to unwind."
Microsoft says the title update and matchmaking issues were resolved shortly after 11AM Pacific, but there are still issues with purchased point cards not activating online.
"Some cards that were properly activated at the retailer are reporting back to us as not having been activated yet," Microsoft said. "You haven't done anything wrong, you won't lose your money, and you don't need to go back to the store – just hang in there and try again in a few hours."
"The Stimulus Package has been so popular that our POSA - Point of Sale Activation - vendors that make those magic point cards work are a little backed up."
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