What’s happened? Microsoft has confirmed it is now giving users more reward points in place of Xbox Game Pass discounts on all games and DLC purchases. This confirmation was made in an official statement to IGN after the removal of the Xbox Game Pass discount was noticed by players last week.
- Microsoft says this change affects all games and DLC purchases.
- In place of Xbox Game Pass discounts, Microsoft is giving gamers reward points when they make in-game purchases.
- Ultimate and Premium subscribers will respectively earn 10% and 5% in points after purchase from the Game Pass library.
- Ultimate subscribers will retain their 20% discount when purchasing select games from the Game Pass library.
Why is this important? The Xbox Game Pass discount helped players save some money after purchasing games or DLC on the Game Pass store. However, Microsoft now has a different way to save, which is in reward points that can be accumulated by either playing games or shopping in the Game Pass library. The points accumulated through these rewards can be used to purchase gift cards.
- While there was no official announcement of this change when it was noticed last week, Microsoft is now provides details on the official Xbox website.
- This change is coming after Microsoft announced price increases to some Game Pass tiers.
- The changes to the pricing of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will be in full effect from November 18.
- Users of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will pay $29.99 per month starting next month.
Why should I care? According to Microsoft, the price increment reflects most of the improvements that its gaming service has undergone. Here are some of the improvements that Microsoft cites as the reasons behind the pricing increase:
- There are more additions to the Xbox gaming catalog.
- Gamers can also benefit from the new partner benefits.
- Xbox Cloud Gaming is now available for public use.
Okay, what’s next? These changes might spark a gamer outcry. Already, IGN says more than half of the participants of a recent poll confirm that they won’t subscribe to Xbox Game Pass if the price increase goes into effect. Clearly, this change will affect how some players make use of the various Xbox offerings.
