The biggest twist of ‘Avowed': Great in fighting, not the writing
Then I noticed something I've never felt before during a game made by Obsidian, the studio that made 'Fallout: New Vegas' and the Pillars of Eternity franchise, all writerly role-playing games focused on character-driven narratives that react to player choices. I stopped caring about the characters. My story choices didn't matter much, either to the narrative or, more fatally, to myself.
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Hypebeast
a day ago
- Hypebeast
Xbox Rolls Back Price Following Fan Pushback
Summary In a significant victory for consumer advocacy,Xboxhas officially reversed its controversial decision to price upcoming first-party titles at $80 USD. Following widespread backlash from the gaming community,Microsoftconfirmed today that its full-priced holiday releases, including the highly anticipatedThe Outer Worlds 2,will now launch at $69.99 USD, aligning with current market conditions. The initial announcement in May 2025 that Xbox's major titles, starting withThe Outer Worlds 2would jump to an $80 price point sparked immediate and fervent criticism from players. Many argued against the price increase, especially for a game like Obsidian Entertainment's RPG, which some felt might not justify a premium tier traditionally reserved for massive blockbusters. The move also saw Xbox following Nintendo, which had recently launchedMario Kart Worldat $80 USD for the Switch 2. The swift reversal by Xbox suggests a direct response to consumer sentiment. Reports indicate that early pre-order numbers forThe Outer Worlds 2may have been lower than anticipated, signaling consumer unwillingness to embrace the new pricing model. Obsidian Entertainment even acknowledged the feedback with a humorous in-universe social media post, joking about 'revising the price' after receiving 'SOS via skip drone' from players. Microsoft's statement confirmed that those who pre-orderedThe Outer Worlds 2at $80 USD will receive refunds. This decision also impacts other major 2025 holiday releases from Xbox, which will now also adhere to the $69.99 USD standard. Earlier this year, Microsoft made the announcement to increase the prices of games for the holiday season. However, it has since backfired. In a recent statement, Microsoft said, 'We understand that these changes are challenging, and they were made with careful consideration given market conditions and the rising cost of development. Looking ahead, we continue to focus on offering more ways to play more games across any screen and ensuring value for Xbox players.' While some in the industry have pointed to rising development costs as a justification for price hikes, Microsoft's quick backtrack underscores the power of collective player feedback in influencing corporate decisions. This development leaves the door open for other publishers, including Sony, to re-evaluate their own pricing strategies in response to strong consumer pushback. Good news to hear. Games should not be $80 — Freeman_san (@Freeman_Sans)July 23, 2025
CNET
3 days ago
- CNET
The Outer Worlds 2 Walks Back $80 Price, Now Launching at $70
The Outer Worlds 2 from Obsidian Entertainment was set to be the third game to follow the trend started by Mario Kart World of having a launch price of $80. Instead, it's another game that saw a price reduction after the initial announcement. Last month, The Outer Worlds 2 was one of the big titles shown at the Xbox Games Showcase and even had its own dedicated show after the event. Obisidan revealed the release date of Oct. 29 and the hefty price tag of $80, but the developer has since changed its mind, deciding to go to the standard price of $70 for AAA games. "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," the developer said in a Bluesky post Wednesday. Dear Galactic Citizens! 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. [image or embed] — Obsidian (@ July 23, 2025 at 10:02 AM The $80 price tag for new games caused quite an uproar when Nintendo revealed the pricing for Mario Kart World for the Switch 2 in April. There were questions on whether this was company greed or maybe a side effect of President Donald Trump's tariffs. In May, Borderlands 4 from Gearbox Entertainment followed suit with the $80 price point after it was announced to be coming to the Switch 2. Publisher 2K Games updated the price to $70 last month. Whether the outrage over the $80 price was too much for 2K Games and Obsidian Entertainment is debatable, but the price of games will have to increase again across the board. It's just a matter of when. The highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI from Rockstar Games is one title that some experts are expecting not only to surpass the $80 price tag but to jump to possibly $100. The open-world crime game was set to release this year but it has since been pushed to May 2026. GTA 6 has a reported budget of more than $1 billion, which could make a higher price tag necessary to recoup the cost of development.
The Verge
4 days ago
- The Verge
The Outer Worlds 2 will no longer be Microsoft's first $80 Xbox game
Microsoft-owned developer Obsidian Entertainment is announcing a price drop for the The Outer Worlds 2 today. The game was originally supposed to debut at $79.99 in October, but it's now going back to the regular $69.99 Xbox game price. Microsoft announced earlier this year that it would be raising the price of new Xbox first-party games from $69.99 to $79.99, alongside increases to its consoles and controllers. The move to suddenly drop the price of The Outer Worlds 2 is a clear sign that preorders haven't gone too well and that gamers are rejecting Microsoft's initial move to $79.99 Xbox games. If you've already purchased the game then refunds will be handled by the Microsoft Store, Steam, PlayStation store or wherever you preordered The Outer Worlds 2. Other first-party Xbox games coming this holiday will also be sold at $69.99, instead of Microsoft's new $79.99 pricing. '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,' says an unnamed Xbox spokesperson in a statement to IGN. It will be interesting to see whether Microsoft continues to push its new Xbox game pricing in the new year, or whether this is a sign that it's fully rethinking the increase to $79.99. Update, July 23rd: Article updated with Xbox statement. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All by Tom Warren Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Gaming Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Microsoft Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All News Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Tech Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Xbox
