Obsidian distances itself from the pricing decision, pointing fingers at Microsoft as fans question the value.
The gaming industry can be a bit tricky sometimes, This time the price tag is a major issue. Fans of Outer World‘s have been worried since the game is now at $80, The decision which was taken by Microsoft has come to everyone’s attention and fans of the game even said “no one is going to buy the game for $80.”
According to a new interview the decision came straight from Xbox Game Studios, the company that publishes the games. “We make video games.” We enjoy making games a lot. Adler said, “We don’t decide how much our games cost.” I want everyone to be able to play my game as a game developer. That’s what I want from this whole thing. But what about the $80 price tag? “You’d have to talk to the Xbox people honestly,” he said in the end.
As Nintendo was the first major company to set the $80 price point for AAA games earlier this year, Microsoft had already set expectations for those games. But a lot of people were hoping that Microsoft would be able to be a little more flexible with their prices, especially for a game like The Outer Worlds 2 that, while loved, doesn’t have the same brand recognition as big games like Call of Duty.
That’s where the doubt starts. Household games like Call of Duty can raise prices without losing customers, but it’s not clear if a follow-up to The Outer Worlds, a niche but cult-favorite RPG, can justify the same high price. Some people who follow the industry think that Microsoft might be using the higher MSRP to make Xbox Game Pass seem more valuable. Thoughts? Make sales at full price less appealing, and get more people to use the subscription model. It’s a smart move, but there’s a chance that customers will feel ripped off or tricked.
In the industry as a whole, people are talking more and more about prices. Nintendo began by charging $80 for some new games that were coming out soon. Soon after, Microsoft made it clear that it would do the same thing. Now it looks like The Outer Worlds 2 will be the first Xbox Game Studios game to come out at that high price.
Sony, surprisingly, hasn’t done the same thing yet. Death Stranding 2 is still $70, and so is the price of the upcoming game Ghost of Violett, which comes out in October. A lot of people thought Sony would be quick to enter the $80 market, but they seem happy to let the competition take the lead for now.
That’s why it’s so strange that Microsoft chose The Outer Worlds 2 as the first $80 game. Don’t get me wrong, fans love the title, but it’s not the flagship you’d expect for a big price drop. Something like, “Wait, this is the game you’re leading with?” is going around.
To make things even more confusing, the developers don’t seem too happy with the way the prices are set. Brandon Adler said that their main goal is to make great games and get as many people to play them as possible. They can’t change prices, even if the changes are controversial.
The message from Obsidian is clear: if you don’t like the $80 price tag, you should talk to Microsoft about it.
