Xbox Live support rallies to fix 'MW2' Stimulus Package problem

After months of anticipation, Tuesday marked the arrival of the "MW2" Stimulus Package. This first map pack for "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" contains five new arenas for the digital soldiers of this controversial first-person video game.

However when gamers paid their $15 to download the expansion from Xbox Live, the new software led nowhere. Maps failed to load. Key images didn't appear. Countdowns never ended.

"Modern Warfare 2," which today's release builds on, was the most successful video game launch in history, pulling in $310 million in just 24 hours. That surpasses one-day records for movies, music, and all other kinds of entertainment. With so much riding on this game, Xbox Live support deployed quickly.

"The engineers are already engaged and working on the MW2 Stimulus Pack problem," wrote Xbox Live’s director of programming Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb on Twitter. "They'll get [this] corrected."

Later, Mr. Hryb reported on Twitter that "The Stimulus Package needs a Title Update and it didn't go out properly. We're pushing it out now - it won't be long."

Many confirmed that online multiplayer battles returned midday. But matchmaking – the automatic system that connects players – remains shaky into the afternoon.

The "MW2" Stimulus Package was only released for the Microsoft Xbox 360. PlayStation 3 and PC versions will arrive in a few weeks.

This is not the first behind-the-scenes problem to strike "Modern Warfare 2." After breaking sales records, the PlayStation 3 version of the game had faulty servers, making multiplayer matches on Sony's console impossible. That issue fell on the game's developer, Infinity Ward. Tuesday's bug seems to fall on Microsoft's side of the fence.

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Have you successfully logged into the "Modern Warfare 2" update? Did you hit other problems along the way? Let us know in the comments section.