The Microsoft Xbox Game Pass account has tweeted a notification to the whole world regarding the Ultimate perk saying that this is not what the gaming world needs right now. They proclaim that the Fortnite Crew rewards are available for the Ultimate subscribers. In which case, you will receive the Carletta Outfit, the Aqua Tofana Back Bling, and the Poison’s Kiss Pickaxe as gifts in the December Crew Pack. Is it not just awesome? A monthly skin pack in Fortnite for free merely being an Ultimate Game Pass subscriber! But oh man, the reactions…. they are totally opposite. Confusion all over the place, frustration, and some players outright accusing the firm of being greedy.
Let’s break it down. According to the rules, this was the new perk that started for the Ultimate members on November 18th. Instead of paying the normal $11.99 a month for the Fortnite Crew separately, the Ultimate subscribers receive it as part of the package. You are getting the monthly skin, 1,000 V-Bucks, and the Battle Pass if needed. In principal, it is premium. However, the manner in which it has been rolled out and the communication surrounding it has led to a lot of players being confused and angry, and even some have taken their pitchforks out, metaphorically speaking.
The comments section of that tweet has turned into a battlefield. The most frequent complaint is about confusion. Gamers are asking if they have to unsubscribe from their old subscription to avoid being billed twice. The user ‘mls.new’ actually asked, “Wait so will I be double charged if I have already been subscribed to Fortnite crew ???” And he/she is absolutely right to be worried. So, what is the process? Do you have to cancel your Epic Games subscription by yourself? There is official information available but it seems that it is not reaching everyone, hence a lot of anxiety regarding unwanted charges is being created.
Then, there is the timing issue. Another user, ‘Mr_Blinx_’, stated that they got their Game Pass renewal on the day of the tweet but there were no V-Bucks in their account. A different gamer tried to explain that advantages are given on the billing date, just like with the standard Crew. Nonetheless, that gap between expectation and reality is giving a lot of people headaches. They see the announcement and think that they will be given something right away. But the system works on a cycle. It is a recipe for disappointment.
Still, besides the practical difficulties, there is a huge pile of resentment building up. One segment of the Xbox Game Pass audience that cannot be ignored is…actually, they hate Fortnite. And they are very mad that the company is using the recent price hike for Game Pass Ultimate as the reason for the perk. User ‘EmeraldIrishh’ complained, “Waste of money, cut this mandatory fortnite shit out.” User ‘ZeroCandyHere’ was even more blunt: “Can I have my old prices back and you keep this Fortnite dogshit?” Ouch.
It seems like Microsoft is making a bundle that a lot of consumers did not even want, which makes the company kind of pushy in terms of making them pay for it. User ‘jeff_nrg’ even questioned whether this was a violation of antitrust law, “to bundle products that nobody asked for just to force a 50% price increase?” That’s pretty much touching the legalities but it does convey the severity of some players’ feelings. They view it as a loss in terms of value, not a gain since they have absolutely no interest in the bundled content.
Some users advocated simply switching to the cheaper Game Pass tier, but it looks like that’s not as easy as it sounds as users ‘XKingGrimX’ and ‘Fir3lordZuk0’ discussed it in the replies, stating that the lower tier does not come with the day-one game releases which is one of the main reasons why many people subscribe to Ultimate in the first place. Thus, gamers feel cornered: either pay more for a feature they don’t want or lose access to the hottest new games. It is a lose-lose situation for a section of the community.
And then come the international voices. One user, ‘xchoka’, replied in Portuguese “Um benefício merda pra um jogo que eu nem jogo kkkkkkkkkk Xbox já morreu.” To translate, that’s “A shitty benefit for a game I don’t even play lol Xbox is already dead.” The irritation is global.
Wait, what was my main idea again? Oh yes, it’s not all dark clouds and rain. A couple of comments, like the one from ‘naor94221294’, treated it as “Best thing you did in a while.” Indeed, the official Xbox account even replied to one of the happy customers with “you’ll be looking good out there.”
