Microsoft announced today that their popular 'Achieve More. Earn More' (AMEM) punch card, an achievement reward program that netted users 50 points daily, will be removed from Microsoft Rewards entirely after April 4, 2023.
Outcome of the Microsoft Rewards Program Change: Unsettlement Among Gamers.
According to the story by Windows Central, the reward method will only be available exclusively to Xbox Game Pass subscribers as part of their Quests platform. Removing AMEM from Microsoft Rewards will undoubtedly cause concern for many gamers.
Although Microsoft states that the other activities available on Microsoft Rewards will still be available for non-subscribers, removing the punch card has removed a great means of earning extra points.
Microsoft has recently revealed a major change to its Microsoft Rewards program which has caused unsettlement among gamers across the globe. The update has seen the removal of Achievement More. Earn More (AMEM) punch card from the Xbox dashboard and its migration to Quests which is exclusively available for subscribers of Xbox Game Pass.
Consequences of the Game Pass Ultimate Changes for Non-Subscribers
The AMEM punch card was a popular way to acquire 50 points daily, and its recent unexpected outage has caused gamers despair. Fortunately, the issue has since been resolved, and the punch card was replaced with a message confirming the move to Quests, as also noted in an article by Game Rant.
The move to Quests has significantly changed the incentives of the Rewards program, mainly because Quests are exclusive to Game Pass subscribers. Non-subscribers can still utilize the other activities on Rewards, but the 50 points per day incentive is now exclusive to Game Pass subscribers.
It remains to be seen whether the rewards remain at 50 points. This news comes just days after the $1 offer for Game Pass Ultimate was removed from the store for new subscribers, and the changes to the Rewards program have been seen as a significant blow to gamers.
Implications of Microsoft's Move to Exclusively Include AMEM in Quests for Game Pass Subscribers
It has been suggested that the changes are part of a Microsoft initiative to increase the number of Game Pass subscribers. The changes to Microsoft Rewards have been met with disappointment from gamers, but as of yet there has been no official response from Microsoft.
It will be interesting to see how the move will affect the number of Game Pass subscribers in the future and what incentives, if any, will be offered to non-subscribers to the program.
The decision to remove AMEM from Microsoft Rewards and move it exclusively to Quests is understandably controversial. With Quests only available to Game Pass subscribers, many gamers will not be eligible to earn these additional points, which can add up significantly over time.
Read Also: Valve Ending Steam Support for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1, Cites Google Chrome Compatibility Issue
Microsoft Removes Popular $1 Venture for Game Pass Ultimate - What This Means for Gamers
Moreover, the move comes shortly after Microsoft removed the popular $1 venture for Game Pass Ultimate, fueling the discussion surrounding their reward system. It will be interesting to see how Microsoft evolves its reward system in the future.
Whilst the hardware giant has firmly placed their focus on Game Pass moving forward, gamers will undoubtedly be hoping for greater reward opportunities for non-subscribers in the near future.
Related Article: Ubisoft Plans to Skip E3 2023, Following Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo
