According to GameSpot, Microsoft reversed its earlier 2025 plan to start selling new games for $80, beginning with The Outer Worlds 2. Instead, the company will sell that title for $70 and has canceled plans for other $80 games. Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty told Variety the decision came from listening to player feedback and focusing on “player value.” While backing off game prices, Microsoft did increase Xbox console prices and hiked the monthly cost of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate by a significant 50%. Elsewhere, Nintendo is charging $80 for Mario Kart World, and speculation continues about a potential $100 price tag for 2026’s Grand Theft Auto VI.
The Value Is In The Eye Of The Player
So here’s the thing. Booty’s comments are a classic corporate pivot, but they’re also kinda revealing. He’s basically saying the old model of a single, high-stakes box price is becoming less relevant. “Monetization just happens in so many different ways right now.” That’s the real takeaway. They’re not just backing down from $80 because fans yelled; they’re acknowledging that the money comes from Game Pass subscriptions, DLC, microtransactions, and special editions. The $70 tag is almost just an entry fee, a psychological anchor, while the real business happens elsewhere. It’s a smart, if cynical, way to frame it.
A Price Hike By Any Other Name
But let’s not miss the forest for the trees. Sure, they didn’t raise game prices to $80. But they absolutely raised prices on their ecosystem. A 50% increase on Game Pass Ultimate is massive. Console prices went up. It seems like the strategy shifted from a direct, headline-grabbing “game price increase” to a more distributed, and maybe less noticeable, series of increases across the board. Which is more painful for the player? Honestly, that monthly subscription creep probably hurts the dedicated fan more in the long run. It’s a classic bait and switch, but for your wallet.
The Industry’s Pricing Experiment
Now, look at the broader market. Nintendo is going for that $80 with Mario Kart World, banking on its evergreen status. And everyone is already sweating about GTA VI. Will it be $100? Probably not as a base price, but you can bet there will be a $150 “Collector’s Edition” or some bundle that gets it there. Microsoft’s retreat from $80 doesn’t mean the ceiling isn’t rising. It just means they’re letting other companies test the waters first. They’re watching. If Nintendo’s $80 game sells like crazy and no one riots, you can bet that “listening to feedback” stance might get a little more flexible.
What This Means For You
For players, the message is mixed. On one hand, you won a battle—no $70 games becoming $80 overnight. That’s good! On the other, the war on your entertainment budget is being fought on multiple fronts. Your subscription service got more expensive. Your hardware got more expensive. And the focus on “different ways” to monetize means games will be increasingly designed to funnel you toward those extra purchases. Booty says they‘re trying to “meet people where they are.” The question is, where are we being led? To a checkout screen, one way or another. The era of the simple, one-time purchase is fading, and even the companies backing off a price hike are accelerating that shift.
