Xbox’s Response to $80 Video Games Is Alarming

by

Xbox appears to have repeated past mistakes with its pricing and strategy. 2025 was a difficult year for the brand, despite releasing well-received games like Grounded 2 and The Outer Worlds 2. A major point of contention was Xbox’s decision to bring some of its popular titles, including Halo and Gears of War, to competitor consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2. Adding to the criticism, Xbox significantly increased prices on both its console—raising the Xbox Series X from $500 to $650—and its games. While Xbox briefly considered charging $80 for new releases, following Nintendo’s lead with Mario Kart World, they quickly reversed course.

The idea of $80 video games in 2025 is causing a lot of debate. Many people are concerned that this price point is too high, especially since $70 games are already considered expensive. With the gaming industry needing players to continue buying games, another price increase could be damaging. It also feels unfair when games already include numerous ways to spend more money, like microtransactions and downloadable content. While most agree $80 is too much, Microsoft is still exploring the possibility.

Xbox Can’t Afford to Increase Game Prices

Xbox head Matt Booty recently discussed future game pricing with Variety. He explained that the company is still figuring out how much upcoming Xbox games will cost.

We’re dedicated to making players happy and giving them a good return on their investment, and we’ll always pay attention to what they want. Over the past year, we’ve already responded to player feedback, and going forward, our priority is to offer options that fit how people actually play. We’re moving away from focusing solely on the initial price of a game, as players are finding different ways to enjoy them. There are many ways to generate revenue now, so we’ll keep listening to our fans and balancing their needs with the health of our business. Currently, we don’t have any plans to change game pricing.

The recent comments hint that game prices might increase, possibly reaching $80 for large titles like The Elder Scrolls VI or even across the board for next-generation Xbox games. It feels like the company hasn’t taken any lessons from past pricing attempts and isn’t ruling out future increases. Some predict GTA 6, given its massive budget and scale, could cost between $80 and $100. If that happens, other companies might feel more comfortable raising their prices too. While they might not be as successful as a developer like Rockstar, they’d likely try, as seen with the reaction to Mario Kart World.

Xbox can’t afford to raise game prices right now. They’ve already increased the cost of both consoles and Game Pass subscriptions, and people are starting to spend less on the platform – not because they dislike Xbox, but because it’s becoming too expensive. Raising game prices on top of everything else would likely push even more players away.

It’s incredibly frustrating to see Xbox acquire so many game studios and franchises over the past ten years, only to then potentially raise prices for everyone – Xbox, PlayStation, and PC players alike. It feels unfair to punish players for what seems like Xbox’s financial overspending. Essentially, we may now be paying more for games because Microsoft spent billions buying studios, possibly without a solid financial plan.

Xbox is facing a public relations crisis at a time when it needs to build positive relationships with gamers. Continuing to focus on expensive hardware when many people are on tight budgets could seriously harm the brand. Sales figures are already concerning – November saw historic lows, and during Black Friday, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and a relatively unknown device outsold Xbox. The situation is critical, and Xbox needs to make significant changes quickly to avoid failing.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/gaming/feature/xbox-has-ignored-this-fan-favorite-series-for-too-long/embed/#

Read More

2025-12-27 23:13