The Outer Worlds 2 director Brandon Adler clarified that Obsidian Entertainment isn’t responsible for making it the first $80 game on Xbox.
In May, Microsoft announced that game prices will increase to $80, starting this holiday season. This is the new industry standard set, as Mario Kart World also costs $80, and Borderlands 4 is set to follow suit with the same price tag. In defense of the decision, Nintendo argued that it was justified due to the game’s value to players.
Meanwhile, Gearbox head Randy Pritchford took a different approach, saying “real fans” will pay $80 for Borderlands 4 if that’s the price of the game. Pritchford slightly walked back the comment on X, arguing that it was not his intent to take fans for granted. And in response to The Outer Worlds 2 becoming the first $80 game on Xbox, the game director had choice words as well.
The Outer Worlds 2 Game Director Points Blame at Xbox For Price Increase
In an interview with GamesRadar, Adler said, “We’re a game developer. We love to make games. We don’t set the prices for our games.”
“Like, personally, as a game developer, I wish everybody could play my game, because that’s what I want out of this whole thing,” Adler contained. “But for the reasons and so like, why the $79.99 price point, you’d have to honestly talk to the Xbox folks,”
GamesRadar explained that Adler avoided talking about his “own personal feelings” during the interview at Summer Game Fest 2025, but he made his point well enough without clearly stating it.
In other gaming news, check out our reviews for Console Wars: The Card Game and The Alters.
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