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Microsoft just closed a loophole that let gamers get Xbox Game Pass for dirt cheap.
Credit: Microsoft
When EA Play joined Xbox Game Pass, gamers discovered a clever pricing loophole. It was possible, suddenly, to save a ton of money on Microsoft’s premiere subscription service, Game Pass Ultimate.
That service—after a trial period—costs $15 per month, and includes Xbox Game Pass, xCloud streaming as well as Xbox Live Gold. In other words, it’s a pretty good deal.
Enterprising gamers were able to make it an even better deal. The trick was simple: You could redeem one year of EA Play for 4 months of Game Pass Ultimate. Since one year of EA Play costs just $30, you could essentially get Game Pass Ultimate for half price, cutting the monthly subscription rate to just $7.50.
That’s a hell of a deal considering all the games—from Microsoft, EA, Bethesda and tons of other developers and publishers both great and small—the cloud streaming and the Xbox Live Gold online service.
Alas, all good things must come to an end—especially crazy loopholes that cut deep into a company’s profit margin. As spotted by Twisted Voxel, this loophole has now been closed.
Microsoft’s EA Play FAQ has been updated. It now reads: “One month of EA Play will extend an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription by 10 days, and a one-year EA Play code will extend an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription by 2 months.”
Since one year of EA Play costs $30, and 2 months of Game Pass Ultimate costs $30, this brings the service pricing to parity. Balance has been restored—though that balance works out much better for Microsoft than for gamers.
If this is the first you’re hearing of this loophole, join the crowd. We all could have saved some serious cash if we’d only known before the loophole was closed. Oh well! Game Pass is still a fantastic service. One can hardly complain.
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