Well, it is truly a magnificent blessing from Microsoft. First, the price hike of Xbox Game Pass and now, practically unnoticed, most of the DLC discounts for the subscribers have been taken away by Microsoft. Yes, you heard it correctly! Gamers pointing out that what was once an existing 10% discount for DLC direct purchase of major titles such as Call of Duty, Indiana Jones, Forza Horizon, and many others has simply… disappeared. Poof. Gone. As though it had never existed.
This is yet another in a seemingly endless array of questionable moves from the Xbox team over recent times. Just when players were trying to digest the heavy hit that is the price increase, they are just removing one of the few perks left that had made the subscription service look like it had at least an iota of value. And people are NOT happy with it! Not at all!
The timing of this is just so… wow. First, you raise prices; then, you remove benefits? What a bold way to… those longtime loyalists of the Game Pass ecosystem are feeling pretty burned by this double whammy. Another user just had to say it out loud: “They can’t possibly be making so many terrible decisions, one after another. No one is that stupid while still being able to breathe.”
What else would social media have been buzzing with, but this? Excitement, disappointment, and drowning sarcasm from the gaming community-soon came when people felt let down. “This is on brand for that horrible ass company,” another gamer said. “Greed will be ms/xbox downfall.” Ouch.
Now, on to complications ahead. To complicate matters even more, Microsoft has brought in changes to Xbox Rewards, capping the number of points you can earn. So they’re taking away the direct discounts and controlling how much you can save through their reward points. It’s like they’re just removing every single option that allows you to save money while raising the charges for the basic service.
Some suggest that Xbox Rewards could be the “potential” alternative to those discounts. “You get a good amount of rewards points that’s the discount,” contended one person. However, anyone close to making this argument has been systematically shot down since the new caps make it difficult to build up any real savings. “Up to $100 is an ‘ok’ amount, if you ask me,” countered another user. “I don’t know if I’d use the term good.”
Then, of course, player’s start asking: “Where in hell is Microsoft trying to take this”? Are they working to make Game Pass less attractive? Is there some corporate strategy in place to drive users to another revenue stream? One of the conspiracy theories making the rounds is that they are trying purposely to “kill the brand so they can blame it on the users.” That sounds slightly conspiratorial, but if you look at the recent track record, can you really blame them for thinking so?
The real funny thing is how divided the community has become. There are players ready to walk away: “It’s a good thing my Game Pass expires next month because I ain’t renewing it,” one subscriber said. Other subscribers take the much-popularized “vote with your wallet” approach, common in game circles whenever companies make an unpopular move.
And then there are those hard-core defenders who are ready to forgive absolutely everything. “As long as I can get GPU for 10 bucks or less, they can do what they want,” one commenter shrugged. So, okay, then, I guess?
In the bigger picture, it looks like Microsoft Xbox is going through a strange transitional phase. Between the price hikes, reward program changes, and loss of DLC discounts, it feels like they’re testing the waters to see how much they can really shove down the throats of their player base without bothersome people starting to pack and leave in droves. And with PlayStation Plus and a myriad of PC gaming services drooling in the wings, maybe this isn’t exactly an opportune time for such aggressive measures.
What particularly irks Xbox lovers of a lengthy vintage is that Game Pass was to become the great equalizer, the common denominator of gaming accessibility and affordability. But with passing months, it begins to feel more and more like just another corporate subscription plan designed to drain out as much money from its user base.
DLC discounts hurt particularly since the kind of player most affected by it are the ones with great affinity for the ecosystem. Those that play the likes of Call of Duty and Forza Halo tend to be those that buy extra content, cosmetics, and expansion packs. Taking away from those discounts would feel like punishing the most active members of the community.
In today’s times when games are already so dear, every splash of help helps. That little 10% discount might not sound like much, but when DLC packages go for prices between $20 and $40, that is money that lands into your pocket straightaway. Spending would be light with the lesser discount, and it meant a lot for families and gamers on tight budgets.
So where does this leave us? Well, if anything, Microsoft wants to make sure that Game Pass makes it way up the profit column, even if that comes at a cost to value for subscribers. The company seems to be hoping that convenience and library size alone would hold the subscriber base together as it pays more for less. This gamble, however, may turn out to lodge their foot firmly in their mouth.
Meanwhile, gamers ended up with more expensive and less fulfilling services than they were before. Now…that sure ain’t one Great Equalizer anyone was waiting for. This smell of corporate greed trouncing customer satisfaction is rare to win in the gaming subscription territory.
Now, the question remains if Microsoft is going to listen to all the backlash and reverse its course or whether this is just the new norm for Xbox Game Pass. Judging based on the recent track record, I wouldn’t be holding my breath for any sort of sudden change of heart. But hey, at least we all have these memories when Game Pass felt like a real sale compared to “another bill to pay.
