Nintendo’s face looking at the retail price of Mario Kart World at time of press release, when Microsoft comments games don’t need to have an $80 price tag

In a strangely non-cynical moment of consumer time, Microsoft has changed their tune on the price of sequel Outer Worlds 2, a follow up to the popular sci-fi (Fallout like) RPG from Obsidian Studios, one of which that was due out on October 29th, and a title that helped kick up some dirt up about the pricing of games in our collective futures. Outer Worlds 2 was one of a few high profile games coming out in 2025 that seemingly guaranteed a more expensive future for the medium, solidifying the idea of $80 price points moving forward.

In a news item reported earlier by Kotaku, the price change became official, when Obsidian communicated the change of financial heart earlier via social media, making official the price drop to $70 for this upcoming holiday season. Obsidian, citing receiving enough “SOS” messages from players to be able to alter the all but guaranteed price point:

“We have received your SOS via skip drone about the pricing. As an organization devoted to making sure that corporations do not go unfettered, we at the Earth Directorate have worked with [REDACTED] to revise the price of The Outer Worlds 2…”

Microsoft clarified the sentiment with a follow up comment to Kotaku a short time later, further revealing that “no holiday games” would be receiving an $80 price point, coming as a surprise to everyone under the MS umbrella, which seems to contradict months of conversation centered around the issue:

“We’re focused on bringing players incredible worlds to explore, and will keep our full priced holiday releases, including The Outer Worlds 2, at $69.99—in line with current market conditions…”

The follow up comment, adding a clarification that not just the Outer Worlds 2 will be seeing a price reduction, but that *all holiday games” will be remaining at the cheaper price point, comes as quite a shocker to me, as I thought for sure larger companies were going to stick to their guns, and maybe even hide behind the idea of tariffs to justify the price increases, which even Microsoft in the past has stated was “not a reason” for the price hikes. This leads me to believe that not just online complaints and continued conversations amongst gamers it necessarily the sole cause of the change in price, but I’m guessing tangible bottom line whiplash pains, like lack of preorders, have truly helped to move the needle in a positive way.

All of this leads on to a continued knock on effect of shock to me, not in the sense that I think consumers have absolutely no power when it comes to changing the market, they are the market, after all, but that most companies are just bullheaded enough to suffer the bad press for a prettier heap of pennies, something Microsoft certainly isn’t a stranger to in recent days with how much bad press they’ve received in the wake of massive layoffs affecting thousands within their own work force.

Further to this point, no one was forcing them to clarify on all holiday games at large, when they responded to Kotaku with the clarification, but did so anyways to their stable of games across the board. Considering this is the company that currently owns Activision, this should come as amazing news to Call of Duty players, in signaling that Black Ops 7 will remain at the lower price point when it launches later this year as well.

I’ve spoken recently on the site about other moments in time regarding price points, with Randy Pitchford regularly making a troll out of himself by telling gamers they’ll make it happen with the increase in price involving Borderlands 4, only to, very much similarly so as Microsoft has done here, flinched at the last second and blinked in it’s consumerist game of chicken, to surrender to the notion that a $70 price point is probably the safer place to remain.

I would say this leaves us with the last bullheaded holdout on the subject, that being Nintendo, by following suit in releasing Mario Kart World for $80, but then not necessarily sticking to their guns either, as Donkey Kong Bananza launched to the cheaper tune of $70 as well. Adding further confusion to the shocking revelation that the more expensive price point would not (apparently) be across the board, is the fact that Donkey Kong Bananza has been largely considered a massive success, from both press and consumers alike, for being a wildly fun experience. This leaves me, along with many other gamers, most assuredly relieved that at least for the time being, our wallets are saved by further strife in the war on inflation, by seeing companies backing off from doubling down on the supposed need for higher price points.

When taken in a complete vacuum, the notion of the Outer Worlds 2 launching for cheaper is just one lucky moment of respite, but when added as another point of data in a move that’s trending across companies in a continued fashion, it alleviates some concern I raised in just the last 24 hours, in how a downsizing of the industry seems inevitable at this point, due to outlandish demands from the industry, which continues to threaten the gaming ecosystem, both developer and gamer, alike.

For sanity’s sake, and in the name of jobs and the health of consumers in helping to keep the gaming industry in a safe place, there should be a collective crossing of fingers that these trends continue, with the ever important reminding caveat that at the end of the day, wallets help dictate the democratic notions of a free market, and it’s up to the responsibility of the consumer to make our voices loud and clear.

I think one of the final points of interest in wrapping up this article of aspirational wisdom, in waxing positively about the possible days of tomorrow we all wish to see, is whether or not Rockstar’s parent company Take Two Interactive, will concur in “keeping it sane”, when they reveal the final pricing for GTA 6, when it launches next year, as it will no doubt help to set the standard of sanity many in the industry will likely predicate themselves upon.

~Pashford