From 2023, Microsoft will increase the price of Xbox Series X|S games to 80 euros. A choice which imposed itself according to Phil Spencer and which was inevitable.
The Xbox Series X|S are currently the same price (except in India), but for the games that go with it, it’s a different story. Microsoft reversed this decision.
Raising the price of Xbox Series games was mandatory
When Microsoft announced that the next Xbox Series games would cost 80 euros and no longer 70 euros, a spokesperson justified this by explaining:
This price reflects the content, scale and technical complexity of these titles. Since these games are developed by our teams, they will also be available on Xbox Game Pass on the same day as their launch..
In the Second Request podcast, Phil Spencer took more time to explain this. Why this sudden change? The economic reality that has caught up with the Redmond firm.
Pricing policy is always something we are aware of and the impact it has on our customers, there are several things we can price. There is obviously the price of the consoles themselves, of the games, of the subscription, and given our current economic realities, we had to sacrifice something in order to continue to run the business considering rising costs.
We’ve decided to drop the recommended retail price from $60 to $70 (Editor’s note: from €70 to €80) for our biggest Xbox AAA games, and we are by no means the first to do so. In truth, other publishers and other platforms have already announced it and taken this step.
We pushed back as long as possible. And we still love that our Xbox Game Pass subscription is at the price it is and that we have the cheapest current gen console on the market with the Series S. We have undertaken to change the retail price due to cost development of these games, to ensure that we can run our business in the right way for our customers.
Phil Spencer, Xbox boss, for Second Request (via VGC)