Xbox Live Game Marketplace down

Microsoft's Xbox Live Game Marketplace and the Games for Windows Marketplace are both down, victims of what the company says is "an internal operational error."

Microsoft didn't disclose any other specifics about the cause of the problem. But a spokeswoman said, "This issue is impacting users' ability to browse and purchase content from the Marketplace."

The company also didn't say when it expected the service to be restored, other than noting that it is "actively working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible."

Update at 4:10 pm PT: A Microsoft spokeswoman said, "Much of the Marketplace is up and running and we're working to resolve any remaining issues."

Update at 9:05 pm PT: According to the Xbox Live status Web page, the Xbox Live Marketplace is up and running.