When Nintendo announced that Mario Kart World would launch at an unprecedented $80, it sent hard felt shockwaves through the gaming industry. Many players feared that this price point would become the new standard for blockbuster releases. Those concerns seemed validated when Microsoft followed suit, announcing that The Outer Worlds 2 would also be priced at $80. The backlash was swift, and fans pointed out that the original Outer Worlds was modest in scope compared to genre heavyweights like Fallout, and that the price hike felt more like opportunism than a reflection of the game’s actual value.
In response to the criticism, Microsoft quickly backtracked, reducing The Outer Worlds 2’s price to the now industry-standard $70. This pivot showed that gamers weren’t willing to accept a higher price without a corresponding leap in content or quality.
Meanwhile, in EA’s Q1 2026 earnings call, the company addressed investor questions about whether it might follow suit and raise prices on future titles. CEO Andrew Wilson responded with a firm, if carefully worded stance:
“We’re not looking to make any changes on pricing at this stage.”
He elaborated:
“That’s in the construct of; we already offer a fairly broad pricing scheme across our various products. When you think about everything from free-to-play through to our premium products and deluxe editions, our orientation is always to capture the full spectrum of pricing so that we can serve players in the best way possible and offer them the greatest value. We’ll continue to look at opportunities to deliver great value to our players through various pricing schemes over the course of time, but no dramatic changes planned yet.”
While Wilson’s comments are somewhat vague, they do confirm that EA has no plans to raise game prices through at least the end of Q1 FY2026 (which runs through March 2026). That said, the door remains open for future adjustments—and no specific mention was made of major upcoming titles like Battlefield 6, which is rumored to launch before that fiscal deadline.
A Price Too High?
As a gamer, I’m personally relieved that $80 hasn’t yet become the new norm. Games are already an expensive hobby, and millions of people around the world live paycheck to paycheck. While $70 is already pushing the limit for many, $80 crosses into territory that risks pricing out a large portion of the player base.
It’s understandable that game development costs have risen, but developers and publishers must consider accessibility if they want to maintain strong engagement. Launch prices are just one part of the equation, but they’re a major one for the average consumer.
Let’s hope that the pushback against $80 games sends a clear message: if you’re going to raise the price, you better raise the value too.
