The Outer Worlds 2, which is likely the most anticipated game coming from Xbox and Obsidian this year, has received a price cut about three months before the game actually releases. A little over a month ago after the Xbox Summer Showcase, it was revealed that the game was set to be Xbox’s first $80 release in the US, but after much backlash, and likely a worrying absence of pre-orders, it has been announced the game will be the more standard $70 at launch.
An Xbox spokesperson has said the following to several outlets: ““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.” Anyone who refunded the game at its initial price, will have that difference refunded to them.
Why was The Outer Worlds 2 Price Reduced?
In a case like this, the easiest explanation is usually the best answer. It is likely that The Outer Worlds 2 had its launch price reduced because essentially no one was pre-ordering the game. Sure, the discussion surrounding Game Pass’ impact on sales has been discussed heavily, but we imagine that the expected pre-order numbers on PS5 and Steam likely fell well short of expectations. These days, those two avenues seem to be where Xbox gets most of its sale numbers, so they likely saw those numbers and walked back the price increase.
While we absolutely loved the first Outer Worlds, the initial price increase was a bit bananas. All of it becomes even more funny when you consider how the series focuses on the overreaching bounds of corporations and the negative impact they have on society. The Outer Worlds 2 being pushed by Microsoft to be such an expensive game just makes the whole situation more laughable.
While the new price is still higher than game prices have been from five years ago, it is more in line with the usual cost we see for bigger games these days. Even an established series like Borderlands 4 had to slash its original price due to player frustration and likely poor pre-order numbers. The only game known to have a strong launch while selling at $80 is Mario Kart World, and that was mostly due in part to the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 and its bundle lowering the price of the game. Players should now know that not pre-ordering games at the higher price tag sends the message to these companies that they won’t pay the constantly rising price.
