When the Xbox Live Rewards program launched in 2010, Xbox 360 players had hopes for massive giveaways, but the service has proven to be pretty stingy with its digital cash values (formerly Microsoft Points) in exchange for doing small tasks on Xbox systems. But on Tuesday, the service exploded with a giveaway for longtime Rewards members, full of rare swag.

The VIP Free-For-All promotion has begun unlocking for longtime Rewards program users, though the e-mail announcement we received didn't indicate what made an invited user eligible beyond "being one of our most loyal members." (Xbox Live Rewards' Twitter account indicated that only "a few hundred" users were invited.) Upon receiving a giveaway invite, users are taken to a page that's jam-packed with a variety of action figures, books, posters, Blu-ray movies, Xbox controllers, and more, some of which were signed. That page does not show the list of items for users who are not officially invited. Franchises like Halo, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, and more filled out the list of goodies.

Eligible users can only claim one prize, set to be delivered "within two to three weeks," after which point they can no longer review the full list of items. (No shame here: this author saw a signed Bob's Burgers poster in the list and hastily clicked to claim it.)

Worth noting, the XBL Rewards service is not unlocked by default for Xbox Live users; the promotional service requires a separate sign-up process, one that is tied to referral bonuses for other users to really nail down that pyramid-scheme feeling. Its rewards began picking up steam last Christmas season when the service was attached to a free-games giveaway at the Microsoft Store. We have asked Microsoft representatives for more details about this giveaway and plans for future, non-digital swag, and we will update this report with any response.

This giveaway news comes as Nintendo's former fan-service rewards system, Club Nintendo, begins shutting down this summer in place of a new system that will better support things such as cross-platform DLC, ahead of the company's announced plans to launch their first smartphone games.



Posted: May 19, 2015 8:30 pm
Related Forum: Xbox Forum

Source: http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/05/xbox-live-rewards-moves-beyond-free-points-gives-away-actual-prizes/