In a move that has left gamers and accountants alike scratching their heads, Xbox users have discovered a loophole in Microsoft's membership conversion policy that allows them to get 13 months of Game Pass Ultimate for the low, low price of £74.96. Because who needs actual money when you can just waste it on EA Play codes?
The process, which has been dubbed "EA Play: The Ultimate Money Pit," involves simply letting your Game Pass subscription lapse (because who needs a functioning gaming service, anyway?) and then buying 36 months' worth of EA Play codes from Amazon for £19.99 each. That's right, folks, you'll need to shell out over £700 just to get the privilege of saving a whole £120 per year.
But wait, there's more! In order to avoid being flagged as a bot (because Microsoft takes piracy very seriously, apparently), you'll need to buy each code individually, rather than in one giant checkout. Because who doesn't love the thrill of buying 36 separate items from Amazon?
And then, because this isn't a total scam, you get to pay £14.99 to upgrade your account to Game Pass Ultimate for one month. This is the part where Microsoft's conversion policy kicks in and turns three years' worth of EA Play into a whopping 12 months of Ultimate, plus an extra month of... well, more Ultimate.
The only catch? You need to be living in the UK, because Amazon in the US isn't selling the required codes. And you can't have an active Game Pass Ultimate membership (because that would ruin the whole scam). But hey, at least you'll get to experience the thrill of getting scammed by Microsoft!
As one Xbox user noted, "I mean, it's not like I'm wasting my money on a bunch of outdated EA games or anything. No, this is an investment in my gaming future... and also in my therapist's future, because I'm probably going to need some therapy after realizing what I've done."