Make some space on your calendar – the Xbox Games Showcase 2025 will be livestreamed on Sunday, June 8, starting at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST. This year we will again have a double feature, with the Xbox Games Showcase immediately followed by The Outer Worlds 2 Direct.
It all begins with our annual Xbox Games Showcase, bringing you a look at upcoming titles from across our first-party studios, in addition to incredible new titles from our third-party partners around the globe.
Immediately following Showcase, The Outer Worlds 2 Direct will bring you inside the walls of Obsidian Entertainment, revealing new gameplay, details, and developer insights, straight from the people making the sequel to the award-winning, first-person sci-fi RPG.
The first $80 Xbox game has been announced, as Xbox joins Nintendo in raising the prices of their video games.
And then there was 1.
I’m honestly surprised this is not getting that much heat.
Imagine if Sony was the first to bring it to $80.
There will be 100s of f Sony article, journalist would have had a field day.
They are doing it to put pressure on Sony via gamepass.
Since it is a game from their acquisition and not from Microsof themselves….
It should at least still be a good game.
But obviously they are trying to control the market in order to get more subscribers.
Xbox fanboys do it all the time but I don’t see you saying anything. If you can’t have the same every for all of them then hush up 🤫
Plus it’s the truth, we seen it happen already when EA , Sony, and Rockstar brought it to $70.
Why is MS and Nintendo different?
So my point is, is price increase not a big deal or is it only specific companies.
$106.49 CAD! Plus tax LMFAO. Are they INSANE?! I’m not going anywhere NEAR that price point.
Think of the poor CEOs and hedge fund managers. Microsoft made 70 billion last year in income and revenue, which completely justified the layoffs.
You're just being selfish.
Which one is it - Income or Revenue? Those are two very different principles in business.
The layoffs have nothing to do with revenue and more to do with Trump's tax "reform."
Edit:
It's actually 88.1 billion in profit. Which is even more insane.
Microsoft execs want more for their next Mercedes payments lol.
How would they do with less greens than the one they already had that's enough to feed a whole country.
Should've chosen Gears E-Day, Fable or CoD for that ... Outer Worlds 2 is not the best choice for 'Their First $80 Game', imho.
My thinking exactly. This IP went from being this unassuming indy darling to now suddenly an 80.00 tentpole franchise in one sequel? LOL! If they were going to do this, they at least should've picked something more established like COD or E-Day. Hell, Clockwork Revolution looks like a more worthy 80.00 purchase than this.
But Clockwork Revolution is even less established than Outer Worlds IP and that too from inXile.
@RaidenBlack
Thats the point I was trying to make. Clockwork is a new IP and already it looks like a more worthy game to charge 80.00 for.
Hottest launch for a Nintendo console…and this is what it’s come to
Well done guys..
You can’t just blame Microsoft when you all supported Nintendo day one. You could have just held off and waited until it went cheaper or Nintendo got the message while you played through your backlog on the Switch but you couldn’t help yourselves. If that had happened maybe Microsoft and others would have thought twice
Can’t wait for that full price GTAVI…fantastic /s
GTA6 standard edition will be $99.99
Deluxe edition with maybe 3 days early access will be $139-$149
Yes it may sell less copies I doubt it but they will generate way more Revenue GTA V sword for $60 how many people do you think will pay the $139 or $149 just to have Early Access I would imagine there will be millions of people because they have been waiting for GTA 6 for so long now
Microsoft did not wait for Nintendo to make this decision.
That's not how this works. That's not how any of this works.
Fox
Let’s talk about the real story behind the Switch 2 launch — and the state of the gaming industry in general.
Despite what Nintendo and retailers wanted everyone to believe, the Switch 2 wasn’t truly sold out on launch day. The hype machine made it sound like you needed to line up early, get a ticket, and pray you were one of the lucky few. But reality? Plenty of stores had stock all day — you could just walk in and grab one. This wasn’t scarcity. It was manufactured FOMO. Classic marketing tactic.
And it worked. Again. Nintendo continues to shatter records in hardware, software, and accessory sales. Meanwhile, gamers claim they’re tired of $80 price tags — but when their favorite game drops, they don’t hesitate. Suddenly, $80 becomes “worth it.” And that right there is why publishers don’t take our complaints seriously: because when it comes down to it, we enable them.
Look at Xbox with The Outer Worlds 2. It’s launching at $80, and yes — that stings. But Microsoft’s play is very different: they don’t want you to buy the game outright. They want you in their ecosystem, subscribed to Game Pass. That’s their long game. But if you’re on a platform where Game Pass isn’t an option? $80 hurts. I was honestly looking forward to Outer Worlds 2, but I’m waiting until it hits $30 or less — maybe the complete edition with all DLC. That’s how I speak with my wallet.
If we really want things to change, we have to stop complaining and start acting. Publishers won’t change unless we stop feeding them money. I feel like a broken record saying this, but until we collectively speak with our wallets, nothing will get better.
And honestly, we’ve been here before. Remember when online passes were introduced? People defended them too — “support the developers,” “if you buy used, you should pay extra.” Then came microtransactions. First, it was “they’re just cosmetic, they don’t affect gameplay.” Until they did. And now, microtransactions are generating more revenue than game sales for many publishers. They’re not just in online games anymore — they’re in single-player titles, in sports games, everywhere.
Look at Ubisoft. XP boosters, in-game currency, “grind-saving” purchases. You can either suffer through a stretched-out, padded grind… or pay up. That’s the choice they’ve designed. And yet, we still defend this garbage.
The truth is: these companies don’t care about us. They care about profit. And as long as we keep paying, why would they stop
This is very narrow thinking.
This is a politics issue. A greedy company being greedy in the 21st century is just that.
Having the political climate that allows such greed is the issue. Lazy people, dumbasses and selfish, corrupted gonads only leads to regular people spending more money to do their day to day thing. Voting wrongly, or not at all - or even not knowing HOW to vote (in a lot of cases) is the problem.
It’s what men and women do. Those who don’t are pathetic anchors on their respective countries.
Yes it sucks that game prices are going up. But if paying more for games keeps the industry alive and stops companies from consolidating and seeking a buy out, then $80 is a price I'm okay with.
I mean this in a general sense, there is zero chance of me paying 80$ for outer worlds 2. But I will pay it for GTA VI.
that’s not how this industry works anymore.
Year after year, we watch these publishers break revenue records, post massive profits, and hand out even bigger bonuses to CEOs — and yet, they still lay off thousands of developers. It’s not about needing more money. It’s about never being satisfied with the money they already have.
Raising prices won’t stop consolidation. It just raises the price tag on the next acquisition. If anything, higher prices validate more greed, not less. When revenue goes up, Wall Street expects it to keep going up, endlessly — even if that means slashing jobs, gutting studios, or squeezing every last cent out of players.
Meanwhile, you have games like Stellar Blade, Black Myth: Wukong, and Expedition 33 — made with much smaller budgets, still delivering incredible quality and turning massive profits. Those prove you don’t need a $200 million budget to succeed. The 'games are too expensive to make' excuse is tired. What’s expensive is executive overhead, marketing bloat, and mismanagement.
Let’s be real: hedge funds and short-term investors don’t care about the long-term health of this industry. They want fast returns. If a company collapses after that, it doesn’t matter — they already cashed out. So no — $80 games won't stop layoffs or mergers. It’ll just feed the same cycle we’ve been stuck in for years.
The only way out of this mess is real structural change — not just paying more and hoping for the best
AAA games keep ballooning in size and complexity, which inflates costs dramatically.
There is room for extra revenue — but it has to feel fair and non-predatory:
Cosmetic-only microtransactions (like Helldivers 2 or Monster Hunter).
Optional expansions/DLCs that add real value (like The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine).
Battle passes that don’t pressure players with FOMO or heavy grind.
The key is transparency and player respect — not squeezing them dry
Not every game needs to be a $250M behemoth. Mid-tier games like:
Stellar Blade
Sifu
Hi-Fi Rush
Lies of P
The Outer Worlds 2's focus on player freedom could mingle with Bethesda's sprawling quest design for potentially fantastic results.
IGN : After an exclusive look at The Outer Worlds 2, this sequel isn’t just aiming to be bigger, it’s gunning to be a better RPG from every angle.
Fool me once(outerworld) shame on me
Fool me twice(avowed) shame on you.
I’ll just wait and not jump the gun.
Wait a couple of months to a year before playing.
I assume this isn't made by the same talentless team (harsh but true) that made Avowed?
LETS GOOOO
Gears of War: E-Day?
State of Decay 3?
Forza Horizon 6?
Everwild?
Project Fantasy?
New IP from Ninja Theory?
New IP form Undead Labs?
Clockwork Revolution?
Silksong?
...
...
...
STEAM!?!? (Come on... a man can dream)
Percent chance of each studio from the Xbox game studios.
Halo Studios. Last game Halo Infinite in late 2021. Working on something else Halo 1 remake possibly or a sequel. Certain Affinity was making a Halo game but it got cancelled? Apparently?
50% If the Certain affinity Halo game isn't cancelled I can see it being there. However there's also a big chance that nothing Halo Related shows up.
The Coalition: Gears 5 in 2019. Took a hiatus to master Unreal Engine and revealed Gears 5 last year. 2026 release.
30% I think they're gonna go cold and skip this year. Wait until next year to show Gameplay.
Compulsion Games: South Of Midnight release in 2024.
5% maybe updates or expansion but I doubt it.
Double Fine: last Game Psychonaughts 2 in 2021. New IP in the works. Some are hoping they're working on Banjo.
80% they announce their new game and I think it's their new IP not Banjo or any other legacy IP.
The Initiative: hard at work on Perfect Dark Reboot collaborating with Crystal Dynamics.
10% they'll show up. I think this could be a 26 title but it's possibly a 27 title imo.
NXile Entertainment: clock Work Revolution. Last revealed showcase 2023
75% it's shows up. I think they're ready to show more with a 26 release. One of my most anticipated.
Mojang Studios: last a game Minecraft legends 2023.
60% theyll show up. Updates or announce a new game maybe.
Ninja Theory: last game Hell Blade 2 in 2024 coming to PS5 this summer.
50% only reason is because they teased something on twitter several weeks ago. Could be PS5 HB2 could be Project Mara. I don't think Mara is anything tbh or a new game. They recently green lit something.
Obsidian Entertainment: released Avowed now Out worlds 2
100%
Playground Games: Forza Horizon 5 in 2021 and now working on Fable reboot.
1% That delay means they have nothing to share for by he rest of this year imo. Could be at the Xbox direct early 2026.
Rare: working on Everwild.
70% it shows up. I think it's time they're ready to show off this project. Surprise fall 2025 game?
turn 10 Forza Motorsports release in 2023.
5% they show up. Maybe for some updates buy I even doubt that.
Undead Labs: State Of Decay 3 in development.
80% then show up. Gameplay details and some deep dives on the story. Apparently they're working on something else but I doubt they'll show it off. Not my type of game but I know many are excited for it.
World's Edge: don't know much about this studio.
70% sure something age of Empires related.
Zenimax online studios: elderscrolls online
70% they show up. Announce a new MMO IP.
ID software: Doom The Dark ages released in 2025.
0% they're probably on vacation.
Machine games: Indian Jones: In The Great Circle.
20% they might be working on the Wolfenstein game. Doubt they're ready to show it off.
Activision: COD of course 100% remakes and remasters 90% Tony Hawk 3+4, New Prototype announced? 2% way too soon and no remasters of the old ones either. Marvel Ultimate Alliance remake/remaster. 50% they were trying to renew the license so who knows.
Greenburge said temper expectations. While Phil is excited for brand new reveals. Here we go the classic mix messaging from MS.
I have to say for me....this is the second time in a row that the XB showcase was enjoyable. Most titles shown will be multi-platform for everyone to play & several interesting first party titles as well as some third party will launch day one on Gamepass which I will definitely be renewing my yearly subscription for 2026.
Man that was a fantastic showcase!!