Xbox Game Pass Value Erodes as Microsoft Quietly Scraps Subscriber Discount

2025-10-04

Image credit: Photo by Jonathan Kemper on Unsplash

In a move that has drawn sharp criticism from subscribers and industry watchdogs alike, Microsoft has reportedly discontinued a long-standing perk for Xbox Game Pass members. The 10% discount on downloadable content and in-game currency purchases appears to have been removed from the service without a formal announcement, a stealthy devaluation of a subscription that just received a significant price hike.

The change was first flagged not by a press release, but by the community itself, as users on social media began noticing the discount had vanished from the Xbox digital storefront. This quiet removal of a key benefit acts as a secondary, hidden price increase for the service’s most engaged players—those who frequently purchase add-on content or microtransactions like Call of Duty’s COD Points.

This development lands at a particularly sensitive time for the Xbox brand. The unannounced change comes hot on the heels of Microsoft raising the price of a Game Pass Ultimate subscription to $18.99 per month. While the 20% discount for purchasing full games featured in the Game Pass catalog appears to remain intact for now, the elimination of the DLC perk has soured the value proposition for many, according to reporting from outlets like IGN and GameSpot. The community sentiment is one of frustration, with many users feeling the change is both non-transparent and anti-consumer.

The Post-Acquisition Fallout

The timing of this decision has amplified the scrutiny on Microsoft, placing the move within the broader context of its recent corporate strategy. The change follows not only the Game Pass price increase but also the layoff of 1,900 employees in early 2024, a cut that primarily affected staff from its newly acquired Activision Blizzard and existing Xbox divisions.

This sequence of events—a landmark acquisition followed by mass layoffs, a price hike, and a reduction in benefits—has fueled a potent backlash. The most prominent voice of criticism comes from Jon Leibowitz, the former Chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the very body that scrutinized the Activision Blizzard deal.

According to PC Gamer, Leibowitz argues that Microsoft’s recent actions are "harming both gamers and developers." He frames these moves as a direct validation of the concerns regulators held during the merger proceedings. "This is exactly what the FTC was worried about," Leibowitz stated, suggesting that with the deal finalized, Microsoft has become "just too big to care anymore," as reported by Kotaku. His comments paint a picture of a company now leveraging its immense market power in ways that disadvantage the very customers and creators it purports to serve.

For now, Microsoft remains silent. With no official statement or explanation, the reasoning behind the discount's removal is left to speculation. It is unclear if this is a permanent policy, a regional test, or a technical error. But in the absence of communication, the narrative is being defined by the company's actions. By raising prices while quietly stripping away value, Microsoft is testing the loyalty of its user base and inviting the exact kind of regulatory and public condemnation that haunted its historic acquisition. The long-term health of Game Pass was built on its unparalleled value; the question now is how much of that value can be chipped away before the foundation begins to crack.

Sources:

• IGN: https://www.ign.com/articles/microsoft-appears-to-have-quietly-ditched-the-10-xbox-game-pass-dlc-discount-including-for-cod-points-this-week
• GameSpot: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/game-pass-ultimates-price-hike-was-quietly-paired-with-another-downside/1100-6535197/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f
• GamesRadar+: https://www.gamesradar.com/games/call-of-duty/xbox-quietly-cuts-call-of-duty-discount-for-game-pass-ultimate-subscribers-despite-raising-the-price-by-usd10/
• Kotaku: https://kotaku.com/xbox-game-pass-price-lina-khan-ftc-microsoft-activision-merger-2000631611
• PC Gamer: https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/as-microsoft-lays-off-thousands-and-jacks-up-game-pass-prices-former-ftc-chair-says-i-told-you-so-the-activision-blizzard-buyout-is-harming-both-gamers-and-developers/