What you need to know
- Several publishers such as PlayStation Studios, Take-Two Interactive, and Activision Blizzard raised prices on major games over the last couple of years.
- This price hike saw game prices increase from $60 to $70.
- Microsoft has confirmed that Xbox first-party games will also increase in price starting in 2023, affecting games like Forza Motorsport, Redfall, and Starfield.
Game prices have been increased across the industry at several major publishers, and at last, Microsoft is joining in.
Starting in 2023, major Xbox first-party games across Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks will be $70, instead of the $60 price that bigger games previously launched at. This affects games such as Forza Motorsport, Redfall, and Starfield, all of which are being developed exclusively for Xbox Series X|S consoles and Windows PC.
“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," a Microsoft spokesperson told Windows Central. "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.”
Other publishers like Activision Blizzard (which Microsoft is currently in process of acquiring) as well as Take-Two Interactive and Sony Interactive Entertainment previously raised prices, seeing games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Marvel's Midnight Suns and God of War Ragnarök launch at $70 on the latest hardware.
Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer previously alluded to potential price hikes, stating back in October 2022 that the company had not raised prices on anything, and that it probably couldn't continue forever.
"I do think that at some point, we'll have to raise some prices on certain things, but going into this holiday, we thought it was really important to maintain the prices that we have because consumers, right now, are more uncertain than they have been in a long time," Spencer added.
