Digimagaz.com – nIn a rare reversal of the industry’s upward trend in game pricing, Obsidian Entertainment has announced that The Outer Worlds 2 will not carry the controversial $79.99 price tag initially revealed during the Xbox Games Showcase. Instead, the highly anticipated RPG sequel will debut at a more familiar $69.99 price point, a move that could signal a broader hesitation within Microsoft to embrace the emerging $80 standard—at least for now.
A Strategic Retreat on Pricing
Game pricing has become one of the most polarizing topics in the gaming world in recent years. As development costs skyrocket, publishers have increasingly floated $80 as the new normal for AAA titles, aligning with the precedent set by other major releases like Mario Kart World. Microsoft itself had announced earlier this year that $80 would be the standard for first-party titles beginning in the 2025 holiday season.
However, Obsidian’s announcement on July 23 signals a deviation from that path—at least temporarily. In a statement shared across the studio’s social media channels, the developer confirmed that The Outer Worlds 2 will retail at $69.99 when it launches in October. The price drop follows considerable fan backlash after the $80 price point was revealed last month, with players expressing frustration over rising costs and perceived corporate greed.
Xbox and Obsidian: A Tug-of-War Behind the Scenes?
Interestingly, Obsidian’s Director Brandon Adler had previously clarified that the original $79.99 pricing decision was not made by the studio itself. Instead, it was Xbox—which ultimately oversees pricing decisions for its owned studios—that set the launch price. The language used in the new announcement suggests that discussions between Obsidian and Xbox may have influenced the decision to lower the price, perhaps signaling that developers still have some leverage in advocating for their communities.
This move could be seen as a calculated attempt by Microsoft to preserve goodwill among its player base while still preparing for a gradual shift toward higher prices in the near future.
What It Means for Gamers
For now, fans of The Outer Worlds series can breathe a sigh of relief. The reduced price means that players will be paying a familiar $69.99—still a premium, but less of a psychological hurdle than the $80 threshold. Those who pre-ordered the game at the higher price are reportedly eligible for a $10 refund, or they can cancel and reorder at the new price.
Additionally, The Outer Worlds 2 will be available day one on Xbox Game Pass, offering another cost-effective way to access the game. Though Game Pass was already a popular option for Xbox players, the price cut further reduces the urgency for fans to opt into higher-tier subscription plans just to access a title at launch.
A One-Off Exception or the Start of a Trend?
While this price adjustment is good news for The Outer Worlds 2, it doesn’t necessarily mark a permanent change in Microsoft’s pricing policy. The company has been transparent about its intent to push AAA game pricing to $80 in the near future, and this rollback could simply be a strategic delay rather than a full reversal.
Still, the decision may influence other studios under the Xbox umbrella to reassess their launch pricing strategies. With players becoming increasingly vocal about affordability, Microsoft may be forced to find a balance between rising production costs and consumer expectations.
For now, The Outer Worlds 2 stands as a rare win for gamers in an era of creeping costs—an RPG that not only promises a rich narrative universe but also a price point that feels just a little more reasonable.