Despite the recent rising costs, the consoles themselves remain unchanged in price, but Microsoft is turning the price screw on games in view of the rising costs. From the beginning of 2023, premium titles such as Forza Motorsport, Red fall, and Starfield will experience price increases.
As Microsoft has now announced, according to IGN, the Xbox division is joining several other major game publishers and raising prices. So far, the initiative has only been announced in the United States. Since 2023, the new AAA titles of Microsoft’s development are no longer available in the market at 59.99. It will be available for 69.99.
Xbox: higher prices are justified
It is currently unclear to what extent prices will also change in Europe. “Regional prices” may vary; Microsoft’s Xbox team emphasized this context but did not want to comment on any planned price changes in Europe.
The rising prices reflect the content, scale, and technical complexity of the titles, the Microsoft representative told IGN. At the same time, it was pointed out that the upcoming new titles from the developer studios of the Xbox division should also be available directly on the market launch through the Game Pass subscription system.
Many game providers have recently raised their prices, including companies like Ubisoft and Take-Two, as well as the rival game console manufacturer Sony, which has also raised its hardware prices. On the other hand, Microsoft adhered to the official price recommendations until the end of the Xbox series s and Xbox Series X.
In September, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said there were no plans to raise prices but made it clear in October that prices in Microsoft could not be maintained in the long term either. It was said at that time that some of the prices for some things would have to be raised sooner or later.
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