Microsoft Rewards are Being Nerfed

gamesreviews.com:

Over the last couple of weeks, Microsoft Rewards have been slowly being nerfed. Users are getting less points, which is making it harder to maintain the level of bonuses they were used to.

The scheme, which allowed those interested to utilise Bing and Game Pass to earn Xbox money or subscription time, as well as other rewards, has been made harder to use. That has included reducing points for things like earning a daily achievement and the removal of bonuses.

In the interest of balance, this service was a little bit mad. Power users were able to get Game Pass effectively for free, and then some Xbox money on top of that. Rewards was free money, and I guess Microsoft decided to put a stop to that.

But the result is a service that feels more chore than its worth. You can still get your Game Pass free if you want to, but it’ll feel harder than it did a week ago. Maybe that’s still worth it, maybe it’s not – I suppose it depends on the person, and on further nerfs.

I am not a power user by any means, and I’ve never systemically played the system. You get points for searching in Bing, and I’ve never bothered to go out of my way to do that. Others have lists of searches which maximise their points every day with only a couple of minutes of work.

But I have redeemed for Xbox credit when the opportunity has arisen, and I’ve done my best to get daily, weekly and monthly rewards. Usually just because it aligns more or less with what I’m doing anyway. And, like Game Pass itself, it sometimes leads me to new games, or deeper experiences with games I’ve already played.

In the last couple of weeks, the way rewards has changed may well alter that benefit. For instance, earning an achievement would net you 50 points each day. It’s now