Shortly After Xbox Game Pass Prices Spiked, the Page to Cancel Game Pass Subscriptions Was Overwhelmed

Comments

• Macaroni_ninja@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨minutes⁩ ago

  Pro financial tip: Be a patient gamer. Get the games you are interested in during sales. Fuck FOMO and pre-orders.

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• Glide@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  You know, fundamentally, I don’t hate Gamepass as a concept. “Netflix, but for videogames” is an idea I can get behind, as it widens the audience for something I love by lowering the bar of entry. There are plenty of people out there that benefit from being able to play a few games here and there without needing to commit hundreds of hours to $100 purchases.

  But Netflix has overstepped with price hikes and ads, and I’ve cancelled my service with them. That Microsoft thinks it can charge some ~$40CAD a month is pure hubris. I hope they learn quickly that, at that price point, the enthusiast market will happily cancel and just buy their games outright, and the casual market will decide it’s an expense they don’t need.

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• SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨9⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  The thing about this shit is…

  Microsoft, like Google, is now a user-data driven company and they have already made loss/profit ratio analysis on this long before they released the price increase. They’re absolutely banking on people cancelling but making up the difference and then some from the people who stay.

  For a thought experiment lets consider how many subscribers they were reported to have in Feburary: 34 million. Let’s assume that everyone is paying for the highest tier to make the math easier. So current income would be 34 million x $20 a month and thats $680 million a month. 34 million x $30 a month is $1.02 billion. The difference is $340 million a month. Let’s divide that by $30 a month. That gets us about 11,333,333. So they can hemorage 11 million users and still break even.

  The math doesn’t bode well for us who vote with our wallets.

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  • ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨54⁩ ⁨minutes⁩ ago

    Now factor in the cost savings from a lower server load and less staff to run the back end, and possibly the smaller licensing\use costs for the games available to play since less people would be accessing those games.

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  • ramble81@lemmy.zip ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    And it gets even better. Instead of up to 33% leaving, say 50% of that group convert to Premium instead of Ultimate. That isn’t any lost revenue since the price is going up to what Ultimate used to be. So that cushions their numbers even more.

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  • Rentlar@lemmy.ca ⁨9⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    One could imagine that conveniently, Microsoft’s online support pages and the support staff were designed to only handle hundreds of thousands of cancelations at a time.

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  • quackerjo@lemmy.wtf ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    I’m not a certified math surgeon, but I think your math is wildly optimistic in favor of Microsoft due to how the subscriptions are actually brokendown per price tier.

    I don’t doubt that they did a lot of math to figure out an acceptable level of churn for this change, I just don’t think it’s nearly as generous and wide as you’re calculating.

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• W3dd1e@lemmy.zip ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  I canceled. I don’t want the features they added. I don’t even use all the features they charge me for now. I just want to be able to try out so new games every so often. I’ll take the $30 I save and buy those same games, probably with some money leftover

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  • whereyaaat@lemmings.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    You should start using your brain instead of your wallet and begin torrenting.

    For all the money you’ve wasted renting games with gamepass, you could’ve been owning them with a fraction of the cost of a VPN.

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    • W3dd1e@lemmy.zip ⁨2⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      I understand, but I do want to support devs, especially indie devs, when u can. That’s why I have no qualms about canceling an expensive service and putting that money directly in their hands when it’s possible

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• kepix@lemmy.world ⁨58⁩ ⁨minutes⁩ ago

  no numbers were shown that day

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• calliope@retrolemmy.com ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  I really appreciate this, you just saved me at least $20.

  Microsoft’s user experience is awful at every step in a browser. I wanted to like XBox but it’s clear why they’re losing.

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• LavaPlanet@sh.itjust.works ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  I already canceled because of the atrocities Microsoft does / is / supports.

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  • PKscope@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Not that the harm hasn’t already been done, but I did just see this: thisweekinvideogames.com/…/microsoft-pulls-azure-…

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    • LavaPlanet@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨hour⁩ ago

      Thanks for sharing! Small wins!!

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• doingthestuff@lemy.lol ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Between the cost of housing and the cost of food, and the fact wages aren’t that much better than they were 15 years ago - you’d think they would realize they are asking for the scraps people have left.

  I’ve always just bought games when they’re on a good sale, I’ve never had a game pass type thing. But maybe they just want to squeeze a bit more out of their most loyal customers and they’re accepting that it is a dying model.

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  • Prox@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Once upon a time, the idea with subscriptions like this was to have customers set it and forget it. Charge them a small/reasonable amount and they’ll keep giving you money forever. Giving people a reason to think about - or worse, evaluate the merits of - the monthly deposit they’re giving you used to be a sin for companies.

    But here we are, seeing the difference between “companies” and “corpos”.

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    • AppleTea@lemmy.zip ⁨1⁩ ⁨hour⁩ ago

      …is the difference being publicly traded on the stock exchange? The only company I can think of that doesn’t fall under “corpo” is Valve, and it seems to mostly be because they don’t have to answer to shareholders.

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• doctortofu@piefed.social ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  The price increase is absurd. I cancelled too, because while I do play quite a bit, this level of corporate greed is completely unjustifiable to me. If rather watch playthroughs of new games on Twitch or YouTube and then buy them a year later on sale than pay this bloody much, eff that.

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  • whereyaaat@lemmings.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Just so you know, they only thought you were stupid enough to pay more because you were stupid to enough to pay at all.

    Use your brain before your wallet. Start torrenting.

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• RunJun@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Just canceled my 4 year old subscription. Can’t wait to hear the complaints from my kid but Netflix is likely next.

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  • thatKamGuy@sh.itjust.works ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    The missus and I sat down about a year ago and tabulated up how much all of the various streaming subscriptions were costing us per year (it was close to $1,000 when including YouTube Premium).

    We cancelled every single one, and put that money towards building a home NAS and filling that up with downloaded media. No more ads, stupidly low bitrates, or TV shows & movies disappearing because a license expired.

    The server has more than paid for itself at this point, and every additional spare dollar is being put aside for our kids’ tuition.

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    • RunJun@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      I have a 16TB server and an extensive steam collection. I already explained it to him and he was fine about it.

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  • whereyaaat@lemmings.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Nice.

    You wasted hundreds of dollars and have nothing to show for it.

    You are average!

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• bblkargonaut@lemmy.world ⁨9⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  It’s nice they pulled this nonsense during a steam sale. Cancelled and picked up halo mcc and silksong.

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  • copd@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    silksong isn’t on sale.

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    • bblkargonaut@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨hour⁩ ago

      Impulse purchase

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• wesker@lemmy.sdf.org ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  EA also further buried the ability to cancel EA accounts, after the announcement they had been sold to the Saudis and Kushner.

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  • Tollana1234567@lemmy.today ⁨1⁩ ⁨hour⁩ ago

    they dont want SA or kushner to hold an EMPTY bag, but i suspect they will get alot of cancellations in the future. wish they seperate westwood so a proper CNC can be revived.

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  • other_cat@lemmy.zip ⁨7⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Between that, this, and Disney+ cancellation page “accidentally” going down during that fiasco, this is exactly why I’ve switched to using only virtual cards for subscriptions. Pause/Cancel the virtual card, voila, no more subscription.

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  • hydrashok@sh.itjust.works ⁨7⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Good thing I never signed up for one.

    Any Steam game that requires an EA, Ubisoft, Blizzard, whatever account is a total non-starter for me. I’ve looked at some of the newer Battlefields when they’re on sale for like $2 and I still can’t be convinced. Likely never will.

    Ok with me, there’s lots of other publishers out there, both independents and studios, that I’d much rather give my $2 to.

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  • RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    To be fair, those kinds of changes do not usually happen so rapidly after a purchase, and was likely already planned for implementation and started before the sale.

    In other words, it is likely EA was already planning to make that change regardless of if the sale went through or not.

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• verdi@feddit.org ⁨9⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  For years I’ve been warning whoever would listen that XboxGP, much like any other content subscription service owned by a public company would inevitably lead to a massive consumer squeeze. Fortunately it happened before MS managed to metastasise into a monopoly in gaming too. Good riddance.

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• SoftestSapphic@lemmy.world ⁨9⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Getting users to pay extra for features that should already be included with their overpriced consoles is such a scam.

  Ffs xbox live used to be free -_-

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  • whereyaaat@lemmings.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    It’s all a scam.

    It’s been a scam since the first Xbox where they charged people to play online.

    The thing is, once they see dumbasses are willing to be scammed, they see no reason to stop there.

    The only winning move is not to pay.

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  • Passerby6497@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    It’s the Microsoft way. They hide security features that should be standard behind higher subscription tiers. It’s entirely bullshit.

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• Gerudo@lemmy.zip ⁨9⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Turned off my recurring billing. I’ll have about 3 months then it’s bye bye. I have been a customer since 360, but now will probably sign up for Playstation Network for the first time.

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  • whereyaaat@lemmings.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    but now will probably sign up for Playstation Network for the first time.

    Fucking hell… some people legitimately never learn.

    They are destined to be suckers for life.

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    • Gerudo@lemmy.zip ⁨1⁩ ⁨hour⁩ ago

      Oh I’m sorry, did Playstation start charging 30 bucks for their service? Oh, it’s actually CHEAPER than Xbox even was? Oh and it’s a massive back catalog of PS games I haven’t played due to being on Xbox? Fuck me right?

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  • Prox@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Ehh… PSN isn’t really any better. Their Game Pass competitor is a hot mess. Better to just buy games outright, especially during sales.

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    • Gerudo@lemmy.zip ⁨1⁩ ⁨hour⁩ ago

      I know it’s not better, but it has a bunch of the catalog from Game Pass as well as a bunch of PS titles I’ve missed while being on Xbox.

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    • whereyaaat@lemmings.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Better to use your brain and torrent instead of being a useful idiot paying for corporate campuses.

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• wetbeardhairs@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Now is probably not the best time to sell my xbox… I bet the market is flooding

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  • Tollana1234567@lemmy.today ⁨1⁩ ⁨hour⁩ ago

    if costco stop selling xbox(a series) its a bad sign.

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  • jordanlund@lemmy.world ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    You might even be able to sell it for what you paid for it…

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• etchinghillside@reddthat.com ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Internet is being shitty on link. What is the price increasing to/from? When was the last increase?

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  • SalamenceFury@lemmy.world ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    It varies by location. But for me on brazil at least every single subscription doubled in price. PC Game Pass was 36 BRL, it is now 70. Ultimate was 60 BRL, now it’s 120. I cannot justify this shit.

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  • Nelots@piefed.zip ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    This link has a pretty good comparison between the new and old gamepass features/prices. The cheapest tier is actually better than it used to be, but it looks like the more expensive ones are getting bundled with shit most people won’t want just so they can justify increasing the price.

    There are four tiers to the gamepass: Core, Standard, PC, and Ultimate. The first two were exclusive to Xbox, the PC version was obviously exclusive to PCs, and Ultimate was available for both. All tiers aside from the PC gamepass are now being bundled with xbox’s cloud gaming, with higher tiers having shorter wait times and better quality.

    This is all US pricing, so take it with a grain of salt considering the other user said their prices doubled:

    1. Core, now called Essential, is a $10 tier that will now have double the games (from 25+ to 50+) and is newly available on PC as well with no price increase.
    2. The $15 Standard tier, now called Premium, is likewise not seeing a price increase and will now be available on PC. However, it looks like Call of Duty will no longer be included in this tier, which I imagine is one of the biggest sellers of gamepass.
    3. The previously $12 PC tier is increasing in price to $16.50. Looks like the only new “benefit” is it will come with Ubisoft+ classic (40+ games) now. Still exclusive to PC.
    4. Then there’s the previously $20 Ultimate tier. It’s price is increasing to $30 a month, and it’s the one everyone’s upset about. The only new benefits are cloud gaming, Ubisoft+ classic, and a Fortnite subscription.

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• sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨7⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  … and here is yet another opportunity I have in the past 6ish months to post the same comment:

  People still use Microsoft products?!

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  • null@lemmy.nullspace.lol ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Nope. Nobody uses them.

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    • sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      I literally cannot imagine why they would, and I used to work for them.

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  • psx_crab@lemmy.zip ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Your comment really just shout “i’m living under a rock!”

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    • whereyaaat@lemmings.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      I think he’s just not an idiot like most of the people who are finally cancelling their subscriptions.

      I know, it’s rare to find someone who isn’t eager to be ripped off.

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    • sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Yep, me with my years of working for MSFT, playing their games, configuring their software and using it at large businesses… and then realizing its all fucking garbage from first hand experience, and then replacing it all with open sourcr shit both at home and at work…

      Yep, I really am sound like live under rock.

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• mrfriki@lemmy.world ⁨9⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  It was nice to have Xbox a month or two a year to play new releases. Guess that it’s over now, no problem, still a patient gamer.

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• Aviandelight@mander.xyz ⁨7⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Jfc I just downgraded back to Premium. We were paying for Ultimate but never used it. What a great way to force users to look at their subbed to. It’s pretty fucking awful to pull this shit with no real announcement.

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