Xbox is preparing to join other major game publishers in raising the prices of its new major new games from $60 to $70.
Starting in 2023, games made for the Xbox Series X | S including Forza Motorsport, Redfall and Starfield $69.99 at launch. While Xbox has noted that regional pricing may vary, it has not yet provided details for other countries.
“This price reflects the content, size, and technical complexity of these titles,” a Microsoft spokesperson told IGN. “As with all games developed by our teams for Xbox, they will also be available with Game Pass on the same day they are launched.”
The price increase is unsurprising, given that this year Xbox chief Phil Spencer said the company won’t be able to maintain its prices forever, but Xbox won’t raise prices before the 2023 holiday season. Xbox isn’t also the first company to do so — Sony and Ubisoft and Take-Two Interactive have announced $70 price points for certain new games, and Sony specifically has been reported discussing raising that price even higher.
As for whether this means the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S will also get more expensive, it’s hard to say. The PlayStation 5 has already experienced price increases in a number of countries, and Nintendo has said it’s not ruling out a Switch increase in the future. When Sony announced the console’s price hike, Microsoft made it clear it had no plans to do the same with existing Xbox hardware, something Spencer reiterated in September.
However, in October, Spencer’s drafting was a bit different. “We set the price on our console, the price of the games and our subscription,” he said. “I don’t think we’ll be able to do that forever. I think at some point we’re going to have to raise some prices on certain things.”
IGN reached out to Xbox for comment on possible price increases for the console, but the company declined to comment.
The full price of new major video games has remained stable at $60 since the Xbox 360/PS3 era, with most games costing $50 before then. Companies that are now increasing prices have cited factors such as increasing development costs and persistent inflation as the main reasons behind the jump.
Rebecca Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @employee.
“Infuriatingly humble music trailblazer. Gamer. Food enthusiast. Beeraholic. Zombie guru.”
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