The spread of the novel coronavirus worldwide has led many a self-isolated or quarantined. Luckily, video games are there to comfort people in this time of stress and boredom. Phil Spencer,Xboxboss, understands this all too well. Spencer recently made some posts on Twitter referencing the ongoing coronavirus crisis and video games' role at home.
“Everyone please stay safe and enjoy some video games this weekend <3,” is a message from the official Xbox Twitter account, posted this last Friday.Phil Spencerretweeted it, adding his thoughts. He says, “It’s heartening to hear from so many people using gaming as a way to stay connected during these times. Play is a fundamental human need. Proud to be part of an industry that can offer escape and fun right now. Stay safe.” The Xbox team under Spencer remains consistent in prioritizing the wellness of its player base.
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Spencer goes on from there, though. Curious fans began to question Spencer regarding the situation out of curiosity. One response posed the questions, “How are the servers holding up? Have you seen an increased demand?” Spencer was more than willing to say. Apparently “usage is up on almost everything,” perhaps referring to Xbox Live,Xbox Game Pass, and individual games. He then thanked all of the “ops/IT teams” at their respective companies for keeping the lights on during these troublesome times.
Xbox’s most-played games according to the Microsoft store includeFortnite,Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, andGrand Theft Auto 5. It’s a list of the usual suspects. On PC, via the Xbox app, the most popular Game Pass titles includeHalo: The Master Chief Collection,Totally Accurate Battle Simulator,Forza Horizon 4,Sea of Thieves, andGears 5.
It certainly seems like Xbox gamers spending the weekend at home are spending their time playing comfort games. That includes multiplayer favorites, as well as Xbox’s most-popular exclusive titles. There are alsoseveral new Xbox Game Pass gamesfrom this past week worth checking out, likeOri and the Will of the Wisps.
Xbox isn’t the only platform seeing an influx of game players this weekend.Steam’s broken its record for most concurrent usersonline at a single time both Saturday and Sunday. Funnily enough, while a lot of users are logged into Steam, the record for most concurrent players in-game hasn’t been broken. Odds are PlayStation is seeing a similar influx of users, though it hasn’t offered a public comment on the matter. Gamers are coming together to survive the coronavirus online.
