According to Xbox boss Phil Spencer, the recently announced price increase for first-party games has been delayed as long as possible.
It was recently announced that Microsoft will increase the prices of its first-party games developed for the Xbox Series X|S by USD 10 to USD 70 starting in 2023.
Game Pass subscribers can continue to enjoy Forza Motorsport, Redfall, Starfield and Co. from day one and at no additional cost.
As Xbox boss Phil Spencer im Second inquiry podcast
“Pricing and the impact it has on our customers is something we are always aware of and there are several things we can price on our platform. There’s the price of the consoles themselves, of course, the price of the games, the price of the subscription, and given the current economy, there’s something we’ve had to give up to be able to continue the business on the increased cost base that we’ve had. “
“We decided to announce it, we haven’t raised prices at this time because we just wanted to give consumers a heads-up on what’s to come over the next year. That retail prices for our largest triple-A games will go from $60 to $70, and we’re by no means the first to do so. In fact, other publishers and other platforms have already announced and taken this step.”
“We’ve waited as long as we can and we like that our subscription is still so cheap that our Series S console is the cheapest current-gen console out there. And we’ve decided to adjust the retail pricing of our biggest games, and it’s really just about the cost basis of developing those games and making sure we can run the business in the right way for our customers.”