Microsoft Fixes Bug Affecting Xbox Insiders Program

Insider Program and Xbox Beta Tests

Posting on the official Xbox website, the company has stated the team has identified and fixed an issue with the latest OS update that caused the unexpected loss of save data with certain games when playing via Cloud Streaming. The company confirmed that the issue was seen for players on the Beta Ring level of the program, although the details of which games were affected haven’t been made available. Microsoft has taken steps to assure gamers the issue has now been resolved for those on the Beta Ring, although it has still encouraged users to log any issues directly through the site.

It is worth noting that the loss of save data only affects players who have subscribed to the Insider Program and the rest of the community will not experience this problem. Microsoft will only release the next Xbox software update once the major bugs have been squashed, although the timing of this news comes at an awkward time for Xbox. The company has recently had issues with the Xbox Live servers with gamers reporting problems shortly after the Fortnite Big Bang event took place on December 2. The whole Xbox Live network went down on December 6, temporarily stopping players from accessing online modes.

Thankfully for gamers, the servers returned quickly as players were looking to jump into Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Season 1, which coincidentally released the same day Xbox Live went offline. Activision, now under Microsoft ownership, has since confirmed players can experience the Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer for free from December 14 until December 18.

It seems that the team at Microsoft is focusing on introducing new features and acting quickly to quash any issues that arise as part of these developments. The announcement that the issue has been identified and resolved will no doubt be a relief for players on the Insider Program as they continue to test the next Series X/S OS update.

Twitter article posted by Xbox Insider

System Update Details

The announcement of the bug fix comes alongside details of the latest system update for Xbox Series X/S. The update, with OS Version: XB_FLT_2311ZN\25398.2921.231211-1920, will be available from 3 p.m. PT on December 12, 2023, and is mandatory from 3 a.m. PT on December 13, 2023. The update includes various fixes to address an issue that could cause unexpected loss of saved progress in various titles, as well as various stability and performance fixes. However, it also acknowledges some known issues, including intermittent audio issues and network connection problems.

Known Issues and Workarounds

The system update announcement also highlights some known issues and workarounds for Xbox Series X/S owners. The known issues include intermittent audio issues across the dashboard, games, and apps, as well as reports of network connection problems. The announcement encourages users to submit feedback and details of any issues they encounter, providing specific instructions on how to report audio and networking issues, along with workarounds for users experiencing these problems.