Microsoft Confirms It Scrapped the Xbox Game Pass Discount on All Games and DLC Purchases, Gives Subscribers More Rewards Points Instead

Microsoft has confirmed it has scrapped the Xbox Game Pass discount connected DLC purchases. Instead, it’s giving subscribers much points for usage successful its Rewards scheme.

Last week, arsenic portion of arguable changes made to Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft was recovered to person pulled the 10% discount connected DLC for Game Pass games that Ultimate subscribers were capable to get, seemingly successful favour of its caller Rewards scheme.

The quality archetypal emerged erstwhile the Call of Duty assemblage noticed that Ultimate subscribers were nary longer eligible for 10% disconnected COD Points purchases arsenic good arsenic Blackcell, the much costly mentation of Call of Duty’s conflict walk that tin lone beryllium bought straight with existent satellite wealth for $29.99. The discount was seen arsenic highly invaluable for fans who play Call of Duty via Game Pass.

But fans discovered that the discount removal extended beyond Call of Duty to encompass the bulk of idiosyncratic DLC packs for Game Pass games. None of this was mentioned successful past week’s Ultimate subscription terms emergence announcement.

Microsoft has present issued IGN a connection confirming the alteration and pointing subscribers to its authoritative website for much information.

“This is not circumstantial to immoderate 1 crippled and reflects each games and DLC purchases. Instead of a discount connected the purchases, Ultimate and Premium subscribers volition gain 10% and 5% — respectively — successful points erstwhile purchasing prime games and add-ons from the Game Pass library. Ultimate members proceed to person 20% discount connected prime games from the Game Pass library. On apical of that, each Rewards members volition gain points erstwhile buying games and add-ons connected the Store, portion Premium and Ultimate subscribers volition gain adjacent more, 2x and 4x respectively. See much item connected the Game Pass Rewards programme here.”

Clearly, Microsoft’s play here, similar truthful galore retailers, is to support your wealth swirling astir its ecosystem alternatively than your slope account. Microsoft wants its customers to walk the afloat amount, and volition past springiness the redeeming backmost to them successful Reward points truthful they tin successful crook walk those connected acquisition cards, keeping the currency successful the Xbox ecosystem alternatively than letting customers prevention their ain money.

It’s the latest improvement successful what has been a bruising week for Microsoft’s Game Pass, which kicked disconnected with a backlash implicit Microsoft's determination to rise the terms of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate from $19.99 a period to $29.99 a period (an other $120 a year).

To warrant the summation successful terms of Ultimate, Microsoft has accrued the fig of time 1 releases per twelvemonth to 75, and has added Fortnite Crew and Ubisoft+ Classics for the archetypal clip ever. There are besides upgrades to Xbox Cloud Gaming streaming quality.

Ubisoft+ Classics — valued astatine $7.99 / £6.99 per period per level — is present portion of Ultimate. Starting November 18, Fortnite Crew — which itself costs $11.99 / £9.99 a period — volition beryllium included successful Ultimate, with entree to the Fortnite Battle Pass and 1,000 V-Bucks each month.

The unreality gaming boost amounts to amended performance. Ultimate subscribers “exclusively bask our champion prime streaming and shortest hold times,” Microsoft said. Xbox Cloud Gaming has besides officially exited beta “as portion of our committedness to marque gameplay smoother and much responsive.”

Microsoft said the caller $30 a period Ultimate terms reflects “the expanded catalog, caller spouse benefits, and upgraded unreality gaming experience.”

The caller Premium tier (what was called Standard) volition adhd caller Xbox-published games wrong a twelvemonth of their launch, but that excludes Call of Duty games. This means that if you privation to play Call of Duty via Game Pass successful a timely fashion, you’re beauteous overmuch forced into paying for Ultimate. Over the people of a year, that’s $360. And now, you don’t adjacent get 10% disconnected COD Points oregon BlackCell.

Fans are moving the numbers and reassessing whether Game Pass remains close for them. Black Ops 7, which conscionable launched successful beta signifier up of its November merchandise date, is simply a $70 crippled (Microsoft backtracked connected $80 aft a gamer outcry astatine the outgo of Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds 2). IGN’s canvass connected the issue, which present has implicit 32,000 voters, shows 53.2% of our assemblage volition not subscribe to Game Pass astatine all. 20.7% said they were going for Ultimate contempt the terms rise.

Photo by Mateusz Slodkowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].