Sensible World of Soccer Removed from Xbox Live

Once rumored as a summer release, fans excited for the online-enabled Xbox 360 version of Codemasters' Sensible World of Soccer (X360) had to wait until last night for the game to actually arrive. Unfortunately, a bug in the game disabling arguably the most important feature--online play--has caused Microsoft to pull the game from Xbox Live Marketplace.

"This game has been pulled. I'll post an update when it is available again," writes the ever-vigilant Larry "Major Nelson" Hyrb on his Microsoft-sanctioned blog. "In the meantime, if you downloaded this busted version, please delete it and when the new one is available youÂ’ll be able to downloaded (sic) it again (at no charge if you purchased it.)"

The problem was quickly discovered by early downloaders of the title, who reported their grief on Codemasters' forums. The title apparently signs players out of Xbox Live once they start the game, effectively disabling online play.

Neither Microsoft's Hyrb nor Codemasters' customer support have given a timeframe for the fix, but Hyrb said he would update his blog as soon as the new version is available. Following the game's delay earlier this year, Microsoft allowed Codemasters to announce the title's December 19 arrival nearly a month early, a luxury not usually permitted for Xbox Live Arcade developers.