Games under the brands Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda will become more expensive from next year.
Price hikes for Xbox games are not surprising given that Phil Spencer, president of Microsoft Gaming, said earlier this year that the Redmond-based firm won’t be able to maintain its prices forever, but prices won’t be raised until the end of the 2023 annual holiday. American publisher Microsoft is, too. not the first to do it. Sony, Ubisoft, Square Enix and Take-Two Interactive have announced $70 or €80 prices for their new games.
Starting in 2023, games built for Xbox Series X|S, including Forza Motorsport, Redfall, and Starfield, will cost $69.99 at launch, $10 more than the previous standard price for Xbox titles from original manufacturers. https://t.co/mwZlKgg299 pic.twitter.com/VmN0nEaqFw
— IGN (@IGN) December 6, 2022
A Microsoft spokesperson said:
This award reflects the content, scope and technical complexity of our productions. Like all games developed by our teams for Xbox, they will also be available with Xbox Game Pass on launch day.
Microsoft and the increase in the price of games for Xbox
So from 2023, next-gen Microsoft games including Forza Motorsport, Redfall and Starfield will cost €80 or $70 at launch. Although the American giant noted that regional prices may differ, no details for other countries have yet been given. As for whether this means the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S will also become more expensive, it’s hard to say right now.
The Sony PS5 has already been hit by price increases in a number of countries, and Nintendo has said it doesn’t rule out a price increase for the Switch in the future. When Sony announced its console price hikes, Microsoft made it clear it didn’t plan to do the same for its current Xboxes, which Phil Spencer echoed last September before being less blunt on the subject.