At its 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo press conference earlier this month, Microsoft announced a number of new features in store for Xbox Live, ranging from Twitter integration to a Games on Demand digital distribution initiative. To lay the infrastructure for that impending functionality, Microsoft took Xbox Live offline for much of yesterday. And while Xbox Live is officially back online, not all systems are go.

Specifically, download issues are afflicting Xbox Live Marketplace content, including Xbox Live Arcade games as well as their free demos. Posters to the official Xbox forums have reported myriad issues related to the Xbox Live update, ranging from installation problems with Telltale Games' just-released Sam & Max Save the World to previously released Arcade titles disappearing from the service.

Responding to requests for comment, a Microsoft representative confirmed that Xbox Live Marketplace was experiencing technical issues. "We are aware of an issue affecting a small amount of content on Xbox Live Marketplace since the service came back online," the Microsoft rep said in a statement. "We appreciate your patience and hope to resolve the issue soon."

Further, Xbox.com's support page has been updated with a service alert recognizing the issue.

"Users may experience difficulties when attempting to use Marketplace and/or making purchases," reads the notification. "We are aware of the problem and working to resolve the technical issues. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience."

Microsoft offered no specific timeframe for when full functionality would be restored, saying only that it hopes to have the issues resolved soon.