A little while ago, Xbox Game Pass posted a cryptic picture of a moon changing its phases and asked on Twitter, ‘Does anybody know what this moon phase means?’ There was no way that the internet would not react and as a matter of fact, the reaction was really loud. To nobody’s surprise, the players did not take long to start guessing the image meaning and their explanations varied from the closure of the studios through geomagnetic storms to even the references to Thomas the Tank Engine?! The noise was really there.
First of all, let’s take a look at the image. The moon appears to have been putting on some black lipstick or something like that?? ‘The moon with black lipstick’ was how AlfredoVasini described it in one of the comments and he also commented on its being ‘gloomy because it’s more exposed to geomagnetic storms’. Which like.. what do you mean? Is it possible that space weather has hit our Xbox dashboards now? The ridiculousness of these reactions reflects the intensity of people’s confusion.
However, what is most significant in these responses is the long-running price issue on Game Pass. The price tag of $30 came under criticism from a number of users in quick succession, with Drax_Sklounst straightforwardly saying ‘It means you pay $30 for crap games.’ And JTsCabinBoy was saying they were cancelling subscription because of ‘shitty cute ass indie games’ and similar things. Honestly, the feelings are real to such an extent that the concern over pricing is really firing people up.
Wait a minute, what was my point again?? Oh yes, the moon thing. One other thing that took place was that the complaints about pricing were accompanied by humorous replies. Deankoshelanyk called it the ‘Thomas the Tank Engine Phase’ during which ‘people just go totally mad’ and that might be the most accurate description of gaming Twitter I have ever heard so far. Then there was georgekinstanza who mistook it for a love confession?? I mean ‘Omg are you coming to me with a love declaration?!’ The number of interpretations is just wild.
Some users, however, adopted a more serious approach and were bold enough to view the issue differently. So, when juicejones77 exclaimed ‘Yep, studio closures.’ it was rather unfortunate because it had been a recent topic of discussion in the industry. Likewise, RemiNightGaming had a more optimistic view when he said ‘Something coming 🤗’ which could mean.. could it be that the company is really hinting at an announcement? Sometimes Xbox cryptic tweets to create hype before product launches, so who knows, they might be up to something.
The whole debate soon transformed into discussions regarding the different tiers of Game Pass in Giovadidas’ case trying to lessen the complaints about the $30 by remarking “Premium is 11€” and telling people “stop this propagand” which generated a lot of exchanges with other users. Meanwhile, CallMeCrook referred to ARC Raiders saying “It means we’re waiting for ARC Raiders instead” which is like.. so off topic but okay?
What is truly remarkable is that this single tweet could connect so many different problems associated with different gaming communities at once. The main issues were the price arguments, the anticipation of future games, the concern of studio closures, and the basic misunderstanding of what Xbox is really trying to convey. It is like a tiny version of the current main topics that gamers are discussing combined in one mysterious moon picture.
Also, could we not forget GreatStoryCorey who speculated it may mean ‘Outer worlds 2 is next week’ which would be unimaginably good but probably not going to happen?? Yet, with the latest practices of Xbox surprise releases, no one knows what they plan next. Actually, the speculation is part of the fun anyway.
The variety of the responses is indicative of the Game Pass community’s vibrancy. People, including those who complain or get confused, continue to follow and participate in the discussions. It might be a matter of questioning the value of the service very seriously or just a light-hearted joke about Thomas the Tank Engine, but the enthusiasm is unmistakable.
At the end of the day, we still have no clue about the meaning of the moon phase. Perhaps it’s an old story, or huge news, or just a prank by the Xbox social media. Yet, the debate that it sparked is a clear indication of the gamers’ mindset: they are concerned about prices, they want new games, and they will always find a way to turn their disappointment into memes. The riddle continues, but one thing is crystal clear: gamers have plenty of feelings to release regarding Game Pass and they will not hesitate to do it.
