UPDATE December 7, 2022: Microsoft has confirmed via a statement to Console Creatures that this pricing change will affect Canadians. We weren’t given any specifics but will update the article accordingly as more information is available.
Throughout this new generation of consoles, Xbox has held off increasing the price of their in-house titles, well until now anyway as Microsoft has announced starting in 2023 their first-party titles will be going up in price from $59.99 USD to $69.99 USD, according to IGN.
In a statement, Microsoft says this next year’s price increase “reflects the content, scale, and technical complexity of these titles” but when the outlet asked if a price increase for its consoles is coming, the company declined to comment. The news isn’t too surprising as Xbox head Phil Spencer has hinted that the company wouldn’t be able to hold off on price increase, at least until this holiday season. The $70 price standard was adopted with a few publishers like Sony, Take-Two Interactive, and Ubisoft enthusiastically adopting the new price model for their titles on the new-gen consoles. This isn’t the first time we’ve reported on a recent Xbox price increase from last year but very unlikely this is one that Microsoft will backtrack on.
“We’ve held [off] on price increases until after the holidays so families can enjoy the gift of gaming. Starting in 2023 our new, built-for-next-gen, full-priced games, including Forza Motorsport, Redfall, and Starfield, will launch at $69.99 USD on all platforms. This price reflects the content, scale, and technical complexity of these titles. As with all games developed by our teams at Xbox, they will also be available with Game Pass the same day they launch,” Microsoft said in a statement to Polygon.
While it’s not all totally doom and gloom, Microsoft reiterates that its newest Xbox Game Studios titles coming in 2023 and beyond will be all available on day one on the service which once again highlights what a deal Xbox Game Pass is.
Canadian pricing has not yet been confirmed to be affected but we have reached out to Xbox for clarification on the topic. In Canada, games now retail for $90 and have been for some time with other platform holders.
