After bullishly hiking Xbox games to $80, Microsoft confirms U-turn starting with The Outer Worlds 2
Microsoft has walked back on its previous decision to hike the price of its new first-party Xbox games up to $80 USD this ‘holiday season’, saying it’s sticking to a lower price point “in line with current market conditions”.
Hints of a pricing rethink first emerged earlier today, when Microsoft first-party studio Obsidian Entertainment revealed its upcoming sci-fi action-RPG The Outer Worlds 2, which had previously been given an $79.99 price tag, would now cost $69.99.
“We have received your SOS via skip drone about the pricing,” the studio wrote. “As an organisation devoted to making sure that corporations do not go unfettered, we at the Earth Directorate have worked with [REDACTED] to revise the price of The Outer Worlds 2.”
In a follow-up statement to Windows Central, Microsoft confirmed the pricing adjustment wasn’t unique to The Outer Worlds 2. “We’re focused on bringing players incredible worlds to explore,” an Xbox spokesperson told the publication, “and will keep our full-priced holiday releases, including The Outer Worlds 2, at $69.99.” It didn’t provide a precise reason for its strategic U-turn, only saying the move was “in line with current market conditions.”