Xbox Live Issues Preventing Games From Being Played, Downloaded

[Update: Microsoft has said the Xbox Live service has been restored]

Following problems last night, Xbox Live is encountering issues again this afternoon, preventing some games from being played and purchases being made on the Xbox Store.

Xbox.com's Live status page calls out three affected services currently experiencing problems: downloading things you've purchased, making purchases, and doing things like viewing your balance or adding currency to your wallet.

More seriously, it appears that a number of users are also having trouble opening digital games on Xbox One. I've run into this myself, with my system unhelpfully telling me that various games can't start "for some reason" and providing me with an error code for which there is no information on Xbox.com.

This problem is referenced somewhat indirectly in the "latest updates" area of the status page, though it doesn't flat-out state that some people can't play their games.

"Are you having a tough time launching previously purchased content or purchasing new content, Xbox members?" the page asks. "We're aware of the issue and our team is working hard to fix things as quickly as possible."

Beyond that, there's no word on when the issues will be resolved. We'll update this post when we learn more.