Leap Year Challenges: How Some Games Are Facing Y2K-like Issues
Discover how certain online games are grappling with the rare leap year occurrence, causing unexpected hurdles and challenges in their operations.
For many people, February 29 is a special date that only comes around every four years. While it's usually seen as a fun novelty, this leap year day can actually cause problems for tech systems. Just recently, two games experienced issues on February 19, prompting players to adjust their console's date in order to keep playing.
One of the affected games was the racing game EA Sports WRC. As soon as the console clocks hit February 29, players started encountering issues. To address this, EA tech support took to Twitter and advised players to switch their console's date to March 1 if they wanted to continue enjoying the game.
According to the support account, the issue affects both PlayStation and Xbox versions of the game.
Another game, Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, also faced problems with the unusual date. It crashed on startup because of the console date. Players found that by changing their console date one day ahead, they were able to successfully load the game. The Square Enix support page mentioned, "This problem will be fixed once the date changes to March 1, 2024."
Technology other than games has also faced problems because of the leap year day. In New Zealand, gas pumps stopped working, and in some parts of Japan, police couldn't issue or renew driver's licenses. Certain apps, technology, and even smartwatches had difficulties with the date. The silver lining is that this chaos will only last for one day--until the next leap year in 2028.
Editor's P/S:
The article underscores the unexpected consequences that a seemingly innocuous leap year day can have on technology systems. While it's tempting to dismiss February 29 as a quirky anomaly, it's clear that its presence can disrupt a wide range of software, from video games to essential services.
This potential for disruption highlights the need for developers and system designers to account for the impact of leap years in their coding and testing processes. By proactively addressing these issues, we can minimize the inconvenience and potential risks associated with this extra day in the calendar. It's a reminder that even the most mundane aspects of our technological infrastructure require careful consideration and attention to detail.
