Microsoft To Increase Prices Of First-Party Xbox Games To $70

In October, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer stated that a price hike in all Xbox products, including games, consoles, and Game Pass, is inevitable and will be implemented after the holiday season.

The reasons presented by Phil were understandable, as fellow gaming giants like Sony, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive, and Electronics Arts have already increased the prices of their base games to $70. Recent releases like Need for Speed Unbound, Marvel’s Midnight Suns, and God of War Ragnarok are evidence of that.

Only Microsoft was left behind in implementing an increase to its gaming products despite its direct competitor Sony Interactive Entertainment hiking the price of the PlayStation 5 on multiple occasions. Besides that, Microsoft has been losing $100-200 on each console sale and is primarily dependent on its software sales, including games and Xbox Game Pass.

Speaking of Xbox Game Pass, it has been providing insane value at economical rates since its release in 2017, with day-one AAA releases like A Plague Tale: Requiem making it heavy on Microsoft’s bank to sustain the model. Microsoft released the following statement and confirmed the price increase to $70.

We’ve held on price increases until after the holidays so families can enjoy the gift of gaming. Starting in 2023 our new, built for next-gen, full-priced games, including Forza Motorsport, Redfall, and Starfield, will launch at $69.99 USD on all platforms.

This price reflects the content, scale, and technical complexity of these titles. As with all games developed by our teams at Xbox, they will also be available with Game Pass the same day they launch.

The statement clarifies that the upcoming AAA first-party titles, Redfall, Starfield, Forza Motorsport, and Avowed, will debut at a price tag of $70 but still be available on day one on Xbox Game Pass. And the statement is justified to some extent as we have seen a drastic price drop in Xbox Series X and S in the Black Friday Sale, which made it the most sought-after product during the sale.

And it looks like it was the last chance for gamers to upgrade to the next-gen Xbox console, as this price hike will probably also affect consoles. So, what are your thoughts about this? Let us know in the comment section below.

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