The consoles themselves remain unchanged in price, despite the recent rising costs, but Microsoft is turning the price screw on the games in view of rising costs. From the beginning of 2023, premium titles such as Forza Motorsport, Redfall, and Starfield will experience a price increase.
As Microsoft has now announced, according to IGN, the Xbox division is joining a number of other major game publishers and increasing prices. So far, the step has only been specifically announced for the USA. From 2023, new AAA titles from Microsoft’s own development will no longer be available on the market for $59.99 but for $69.99.
The increased prices reflect the content, scale, and technical complexity of the titles, a 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 at market launch via the Game Pass subscription system.
It is currently unclear whether and to what extent prices will also change in Europe. The “regional prices” could be different, Microsoft’s Xbox team emphasized this context but did not want to comment on any planned price changes in Europe.
Many game providers have recently increased their prices, including companies like Ubisoft and Take-Two as well as rival game console manufacturer Sony, which has also increased the prices of its hardware. Microsoft, on the other hand, stuck to the official price recommendations for the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X until the very end.
Xbox boss Phil Spencer stated in September that there were no plans for price increases, but made it clear in October that prices ultimately could not be maintained at Microsoft in the long term either. It was said at the time that some of the prices for certain things would have to be raised sooner or later.
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