Microsoft confirmed that starting from next year, the price of new Xbox games will increase by about 16% to $70, in order to follow up the recent moves of its peers. That means new prices will apply to titles such as “Starfield” slated for release in 2023.
Microsoft said in a statement that the price of new games coming next year will increase from $60 to $70 “to reflect the content, scale and technical complexity of these games.” The Xbox is priced differently in different regions, but Microsoft has not yet explained the prices in each region.
According to the statement, the price of the new generation of games including “Starfield”, “Forza Motorsport” and “Redfall” on all platforms will be $10 more than existing games. These new games will also be available on Microsoft’s Game Pass subscription service, which costs $9.99 a month, on the same day it goes on sale.
From Ubisoft (UBI-US), Sony to Take Two (TTWO-US), major game companies have recently raised new games to $70, and Sony executives even hinted that the price may be higher than $70 depending on the game. Today Microsoft (MSFT-US) also joined the ranks, but the company said that the new price will not be implemented until after the end of the year holidays, “so that everyone can enjoy the fun of the game.”
For nearly 20 years, the price of many top-notch games has remained in the $60 range. Microsoft Xbox chief Phil Spencer hinted in October that a price increase might be imminent, and earlier in 2020, Sony and Microsoft executives debated whether prices should be raised to reflect inflation and the growing cost of game development.
But it is not yet known whether the Xbox X-series and S-series game consoles will also increase in price. Rival Sony PlayStation 5 has raised prices in many countries, and Nintendo Switch does not rule out price increases.
When Spencer was asked about it in September, he said that he would maintain the current pricing, but the wording was different in October. He said at the time: “We have always kept the prices of consoles, video games, subscription services, but I don’t think we Can do it forever. I do think that at some point there will be a point where prices on certain items will have to be raised.”