I just learned that my game credits now, effectively, are worth half of what they once were.* Apparently, I could have used them at full value by March 24 had I known anything about it, but I only just accidentally stumbled across this information, so the deadline has long since passed. There are at least a couple of problems with this change:

• The lack of an announcement: It's conspicuous that there was no link in world chat as there often is with important announcements. It seems like that was on purpose, and that makes it difficult to trust management.
• Making the change 100% retroactive: Management has effectively reneged on a promise by redefining the value of the credits I already had. The credits I have were earned before this change was made, and whatever the fine print may say, the understanding was that I would be able to use them to purchase seasons, no strings attached. Now there are strings attached. I wouldn't complain had management made this change to credits earned after March 24. But, instead, they've told me that they simply aren't going to honor a previous promise in regards to the value of my credits. That's just dishonest no matter how much management wants to spin it.

These complaints are not about the money. The prices aren't particularly high, and I can afford to pay them. My complaints are about being made to feel as if management is giving me the middle finger. I've been playing HBD for 20 or so years, and I've got 4 seasons left on my account after my current one. What happens after that depends a great deal on whether or not management can recognize the ways it mishandled this policy change and make the situation right.

*Management or others can spin it however they want, but $1 of credits used to have $1 of value. Now credits are simply half-off coupons.

EDIT: While I can't say I agree with how this change was handled, Robert did discuss it with me in a way that was helpful and in a way that makes my situation right. So, thank you to him for being as responsive and as helpful as he was.

I agree this feels like management burning customer goodwill for almost zero benefit. Real sneaky nickel-and-dime stuff.

Wait, what got missed here? I don't often check my credit balance when I have seasons available so I just looked and I have ~$47 in credits but yeah, unless I buy the 4-season pack, I can only use 50% of them. Was there an announcement made somewhere indicating the timing of the change and the reason for it?

Sitemail sent out: Separately, we want to give everyone a heads-up on an account policy update.
Beginning March 24 at 11:59 PM ET, purchases on WhatIfSports will be able to use credits for up to 50% of the purchase price, with the remaining amount paid using standard payment methods.

For most users this will not change anything - the vast majority of purchases already fall within that range. If you currently have a larger credit balance, you’ll have the next two weeks to use credits normally before the update takes effect.
Importantly, existing credits are not being removed and the credit earning structure will remain the same. This change simply updates how credits can be applied to purchases as we continue modernizing the platform and investing in new improvements like the SimLeague Baseball mobile app.

Posted by tirebuilder on 4/15/2026 12:56:00 PM (view original):
Sitemail sent out: Separately, we want to give everyone a heads-up on an account policy update.
Beginning March 24 at 11:59 PM ET, purchases on WhatIfSports will be able to use credits for up to 50% of the purchase price, with the remaining amount paid using standard payment methods.

For most users this will not change anything - the vast majority of purchases already fall within that range. If you currently have a larger credit balance, you’ll have the next two weeks to use credits normally before the update takes effect.
Importantly, existing credits are not being removed and the credit earning structure will remain the same. This change simply updates how credits can be applied to purchases as we continue modernizing the platform and investing in new improvements like the SimLeague Baseball mobile app.

Thanks...I must've skimmed that one. Bummer.

I've been playing WiS games since 2001 and THIS has to be one of the most money-grubbing moves ANY ownership has ever made. Nothing at all done to improve HBD (all I play now) in any form other than making it harder to fill worlds. No game improvements at all. Keep on and you guys will destroy a great game because you wanted to make a few extra bucks. I'm VERY disappointed here. You basically penalized your most active players. I'm sure that I'm not the only one who feels this way. How about a few game improvements to go along with this latest destructive decision? Maybe a tube of KY Jelly at a discount price. Maybe get rid of a few of these annoying pop-up adds in the Forums. Oh WAIT! That's income! Another great decision was changing ballpark criteria IN THE MIDDLE OF A SEASON which basically screwed owners who spent multiple seasons building teams to fit their home fields. BAM! (More KY please.) I won't quit playing HBD simply because of my addiction (as other owners have stated in various forums.) Honestly though, at this rate I have to wonder how long people will keep spending more money for a product in decline.

I'm in a reflective mood this morning so you guys get to hear my BS.

Where do WE come from? I've been, somehow, playing WiS for 20 years. As we've seen from time to time, leagues and worlds can be hard to fill, certainly more so than back in "the early days". And while it's obvious to blame successive ownerships for obvious mismanagement, I've always wondered just how many of US there really are. As in, who really plays this anyway?
Me, it's simple. In high school someone introduced me to Strat-o-matic baseball. Me and one other dude got into it. All the "real" jocks were out playing the sports in the yard, ya know? I grew up and the Strat-o-matic bug was long forgotten till I found this. How many am I, one in ten thousand?

I've been here 20 years. Where's the new blood? Because what I see of my friends' kids now, they've all been bit by sports gambling. Even if they don't gamble, sit down and watch a game with them and they all talk about the real life games in sports gambling terms. It's their language now.
That's got have an effect on anyone with any inclination to play a game for "What If?"

Point is, I'm not sure if I see the future. And the true business of a business ownership is to see the future.

I've also been on WIS for over 20 years. There probably still is a market for this kind of game. I understand that sports gambling is all the rage but playing fantasy sports for the sake of fantasy (what if) is still a thing. Not everyone, young and old, must have a wager in order to enjoy an activity.

But the games and the website has to be marketed, has to be continually improved. Management must treat its customers with respect, like they value their business, not ghosting them after asking for their input, not telling them stories about upcoming improvements that never materialize, not making promises without being upfront about a realistic timeline when these promises WILL be fulfilled so that they can be held accountable, not burning through goodwill by implementing policies that clearly benefit only the business and create zero value for the user base.

What there really is no market for is a poorly run fantasy sports website. I'm not accusing the current WIS ownership of this, per se, but ultimately, if WIS fails, the ultimate cause will be self-inflicted and not due to outside factors.

Just wanted to give Admin Kudo's for their effort. This tells me that they're at least reading the Forum. Thanks guys.