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Microsoft has officially confirmed another wave of price increases — players are outraged because they thought $70 was the maximum price for AAA projects.
The company has announced price increases for consoles, Xbox Series X/S, controllers, and headsets in the US, Europe, the UK, and Australia. The most notorious moment is that the cost of new games from Microsoft’s internal studios will now be up to $79.99. This is the second large-scale increase in several years and another step towards making $80 the new standard for AAA titles.
The price increase is explained by «market conditions» and increased development costs. The company does not provide any details, but this step has already caused outrage among gamers — both on social networks and forums. Many believe that the transition to $80 will permanently reduce the number of games they will buy on release day.
What exactly is getting more expensive:
A similar increase applies to European prices: Xbox Series S in Europe now costs €349.99 / £299.99, and Series X — €599.99 / £499.99. Microsoft last raised prices for consoles in the summer of 2023. At the same time, the cost of Xbox Game Pass subscription increased. But this time, Game Pass remains unchanged.
Games for $80 dollars — this is no longer an exception, but will gradually become a system. It all started with Nintendo presentations, when they first raised the price of the standard edition of the game for Switch 2. Microsoft, as expected by many in the industry, did not hesitate. Among the potential projects that may receive a new price tag are releases from Activision, Blizzard, Bethesda, id Software, The Coalition, 343 Industries, Arkane, Ninja Theory, and Playground Games. In particular, it can be new installments of Call of Duty, Diablo, The Elder Scrolls, Halo, Gears of War, Forza Horizon, and Fable. But Sony is not lagging: the company raised the price of PlayStation 5 although (so far) there has been no talk of games.
Microsoft made the announcement immediately after a positive quarterly financial report. According to CEO Satya Nadella, the company became the leader in the number of pre-orders and installations on Xbox and PlayStation Store. In addition, Game Pass PC revenue grew by 45% over the year. Some people justify Microsoft: they say that Nintendo started it all, and it was only a matter of time before the increase. But the general reaction of gamers is mostly negative. Many write that now they will only buy games at sales, because paying $80 on the day of release is too much.
And yes, rumors of a possible the price of GTA 6 in $100 no longer looks fantastic. Even large studios may find themselves in a difficult position amid rising costs. After all, more and more gamers prefer indie games, which for $20-$40 often offer no worse experience than AAA releases with million-dollar budgets.
Source: Tech4Gamers / The Verge / 80.lv