Microsoft Discreetly Eliminates One More Gaming Subscription Benefit

Gamers are currently reeling from the latest Xbox Game Pass price increase, but Microsoft isn't done yet. Once subscribers noticed that typical Game Pass discounts on many in-game buys appeared to be missing, Microsoft announced that savings on games, downloadable content, and in-game currency have ceased to be a subscription benefit.

What Changed with Game Pass Discounts?

“The change applies across all games and DLC, not just specific titles. In place of direct discounts, Ultimate and Premium members will now get 10% and 5% back in points for buying certain games and add-ons from the Game Pass collection,” the tech giant explained in a statement. “Ultimate subscribers still receive a 20% discount on chosen Game Pass titles. Additionally, every Rewards member earns points for Store purchases, with Premium and Ultimate users getting 2x and 4x the points, respectively.”

As an example, acquiring COD Points rewards players with points, but removes the discount on the currency itself.

A Catch with Reward Points

But there's a catch there, too: Gamers may find they can no longer use saved reward points to get complimentary Game Pass subscriptions, indicating this feature is gone.

Player Reaction and Membership Cancellations

Between the latest Game Pass restructuring, the increase for both the service and hardware, and the removal of the Game Pass subscriber discount, subscribers are furious, and are canceling their subscriptions en masse. Shortly after the subscription cost rise was revealed, the website where users can end their membership briefly went down from all the traffic it got in the wake of the announcement.

• Latest subscription updates include a price increase and eliminated savings.
• Top-tier and Higher-level subscribers now earn rewards instead of price cuts.
• Loyalty points are no longer able to be exchanged for complimentary subscription periods.
• Numerous users are ending their subscriptions in protest.