It is the end of an era as Microsoft has effectively quashed a hack used by gamers to get a cheap, long-term subscription to Game Pass Ultimate.
The trick essentially allowed you to grab a three-year membership for the top tier of the popular gaming service for the equivalent of £3.50 per month, instead of its normal monthly price of £11 for existing subscribers and £12 for new subscribers.
Game Pass is Xbox’s subscription service that provides access to a library of over 300 games, which can be played on console and PC.
For years, gamers have used a workaround that allows them to stack and convert a cheaper Xbox Live Gold subscription into a Game Pass Ultimate subscription. This is the service’s most expensive plan and comes with access to online game streaming.
Despite gamers quietly spreading the scheme on online messaging boards, it seems that Microsoft has finally decided to take action against the juicy discount.
As detailed in a post on Reddit, the tech giant has essentially diluted the conversion rate to a ratio of 3:2, down from 1:1. What that means is that 90 days of Xbox Live Gold will now get you 60 days of Game Pass Ultimate, instead of the exact same amount of time.
To make matters worse, the change is being implemented a day after a price rise came into effect. On Thursday, Microsoft upped the cost of a Game Pass Ultimate membership from £11 to £12 for new customers, with the change due to hit current subscribers on August 13. Those subscribed to the standard version of Game Pass, which only allows access to games on Xbox consoles, will see a £1 jump, from £8 to £9.
To entice budding players, the company has reinstated its £1 Game Pass trial offer after ditching it in March. However, the discount only applies to the PC and Ultimate tiers, and not the console subscription.
Late last year, leaked screenshots appeared to show another cheaper membership that cost £2.61 per month, albeit with ads. But, there has been no word of this tier since.
