When Xbox announced The Outer Worlds 2 would launch at $79.99, it didn’t take long for backlash to explode.
After Nintendo set Mario Kart World at $80, Microsoft decided to give it a shot.
But while Nintendo had a flagship title and console bundle to back it up, Xbox chose a more niche sequel with a modest following, one that many players already planned to access through Game Pass.
For a game that wasn’t exactly the next Halo or Elden Ring, the $80 tag came off as tone-deaf, especially when most players expected $69.99 to remain the industry ceiling.
What Was Obsidian’s Response to the Backlash?
Obsidian, the studio making The Outer Worlds 2, soon clarified it wasn’t responsible for the price decision.
Brandon Adler made it clear that Obsidian didn’t decide the retail price and said he wished everyone could play the game, implying he wasn’t happy with the cost either.
People asked why The Outer Worlds, a typical mid-budget AA game, was sold for $80 as if it were a top-tier release.
Even fans of the original didn’t hesitate to say they’d wait for a sale or simply play it through Game Pass.
Why Did Xbox Walk Back the $80 Plan So Fast?
Things reached a breaking point when preorder numbers reportedly fell short on all platforms, including PlayStation.
The excitement about the reveal was drowned out by complaints about the game’s price, despite it being on Game Pass.
Many took it off their wishlists because it looked worse compared to recent RPGs like Expedition 33 and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, which cost less than $60 and were seen as better value.
Players also pointed out that Nintendo only used the $80 price for Mario Kart World, while games like Donkey Kong Bananza stayed between $60 and $70.
What Did Xbox Say When They Backtracked?
Less than two months after announcing $80 pricing, Microsoft bowed to backlash and said it would no longer charge that amount for holiday releases.
Xbox lowered The Outer Worlds 2 price to $69.99 right away and agreed to refund anyone who preordered at the $80 price.
The decision got positive reactions from players who felt it reflected the power of their feedback and resistance.
Microsoft likely treated this as a PR move once they saw the numbers and recognized the experiment didn’t succeed.
Is Xbox Under Pressure From the Higher-Ups?
The situation also exposed bigger problems, as Microsoft reportedly feels pressure internally to improve Xbox’s profits after spending billions on deals like Activision Blizzard.
Azure and Office bring in higher margins, so Xbox is facing more scrutiny. Some believe the $80 test was an attempt to pad margins on physical sales or push users even more toward Game Pass, where Microsoft keeps tighter control over revenue.
No matter the reason, the message was clear: most players aren’t ready or willing to pay $80 for a game that doesn’t look like a big AAA title right away.
Did Xbox Accidentally Set a New Industry Boundary?
The fallout from Xbox’s short-lived pricing strategy is already rippling through the industry.
Gearbox was expected to price Borderlands 4 higher, but they decided to keep it at $69.99. EA has also confirmed it won’t make changes to its standard pricing.
Meanwhile, fans are now watching Sony closely, wondering if it will also attempt the $80 jump or stay put for now.
Despite inflation and higher production costs, Xbox’s reversal makes clear that publishers must consider how players view value alongside their budgets.
In the end, this wasn’t only about the price of one game but about how much players will accept in an industry full of costly special editions, microtransactions, and battle passes.
Raising the base price to $80 was always going to be a hard sell, especially without the prestige of a GTA 6 or Zelda. Xbox is holding off for now, though the talk about game costs is still ongoing.
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