Summary
Xboxis reportedly raising the price of its Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles, as well as its first-party games.
This information is courtesy ofThe Game Business, which reports steep price increases in the United States. The price of the Xbox Series X is increasing by $100, from $499.99 to $599.99. Meanwhile, the Series S’s price is increasing by $80, from $329.99 to $429.99. In Europe, the Series X and Series S are increasing by €50, to €599.99 and €349.99, respectively.
The price of games is also set to increase, with new releases set to cost $79.99 from the upcoming holiday season onwards.
Rising Costs & Economic Instability
These price increases are a result of global economic instability, partially caused by tariffs imposed on China by the United States. Development and manufacturing costs in the gaming industry continue to rise, with economic conditions only worsening the situation.
Price has been a hot topic in the gaming community as of late, with the Nintendo Switch 2’s price tag of $449.99, up $100 from the original Switch, causing controversy. In a similar vein, Mario Kart World’s non-bundle price of $79.99 remains an issue for fans of the series, who areflooding the comments of every postrelated to the game with a simple rallying cry, “Drop the Price.”
It would appear that $80 is becoming the new standard for triple-A releases in the United States, as publishers and developers try to maintain profit margins amid rising costs. This is likely to cause a corresponding drop in the number of people purchasing new games, especially given the low rate of consumer confidence in the United States, which is at a13-year low.
Xbox is also raising the price of its peripherals, with controllers and headsets rising by $10-$20. Xbox has confirmed these price changes in asupport update.
Xbox Series X
Launched in 2020 in conjunction with the Xbox Series S digital-only console, the Series X is the disc version of Microsoft’s premier gaming platform.
