Xbox’s Live and Game Pass services have reportedly been fit to burst with players logging in thanks to the recent world-wide lockdowns caused by COVID-19. So many, in fact, that Microsoft are seeing record numbers of gamers heading online during these uniquely difficult times.

A post by Microsoft (picked up by VideoGameChronicle) confirmed the news stating that “as people look to gaming for social connection, we’re seeing record numbers across Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Live, and Mixer”

The post continues “to streamline moderation and ensure the best experience for our community, we’re making small adjustments. We’ve temporarily turned off the ability to upload custom gamerpics, club pic, and club backgrounds.”

So exactly how high are these numbers? Well, according to Microsoft’s own reports, they’re seeing as much as a 775 percent increase in demand for their cloud services in regions particularly hard hit as lockdown measures continue across the globe.

In order to cope with this unprecedented demand, Microsoft has put measures in place to ensure users are getting a continual and good service. Scheduling game updates during times when the usage is at a minimum are among the steps being taken.

It’s worth remembering that these huge numbers and demand are (hopefully) only temporary, and will no doubt return to something resembling normality once the coronavirus outbreak begins to be brought under control.

In other industry news, Valve have also been reporting huge numbers of users on their Steam platform, with numbers there hitting an all time high of 22.6 million users just last weekend. Although these may be grim times, with more grim times ahead, it’s comforting to know that so many gamers are doing their bit by simply being themselves and not giving in to the hysteria. Here’s to us, gamers. Keep on gaming.