Microsoft Studios not raising US game prices for Xbox One

Games cost a lot of money and somehow that's become OK. And every generation technical capabilities rise and publishers talk about teams getting bigger and needing to make more money so they can pay for it all, hence Online Passes, hence sneaky price rises for Call of Duty, FIFA and Assassin's Creed - those games clearly weren't making enough money anyway.

Fortunately, I suppose, Microsoft Studios - the publisher rather than platform holder - has gone on the record to say it won't raise the price of games for Xbox One.

"I can confirm that Microsoft Studios games on Xbox One will be $59.99 (MSRP)," a Microsoft rep told Polygon. MSRP is manufacturer's suggested retail price.

$60 is the price games typically are before they're knocked down by competing retailers in the US, just like how games start off at £49.99 before they're knocked down to around £39.99 by shops in the UK.

That's Microsoft Studios, though, not Activision or Ubisoft or EA, etc. A cursory sweep of the publishers about their planned pricing hasn't provided any fruit - it's too early to say, most tell me. And Microsoft UK was unavailable to make the same commitment to Xbox One pricing.

A solid UK source told me Microsoft wasn't asking for a higher Xbox One game royalty than it was on Xbox 360, though, so it looks like everything's staying as it is - at least in shops. Online, who knows?

Sony hasn't answered PS4 game pricing definitively, but Jack Tretton said at the February reveal that, "We're going to welcome free-to-play models, games from $.99 up to those $60 games" - as if that was the ceiling.

Despite all that, the world's biggest online retailer, Amazon, has priced its Xbox One and PS4 games at £55. Even if that's SRP (suggested retail price), before the usual retailer knock-down that still suggests a £5 price hike.

But as Amazon points out [and you pointed out to me, because you're clever/not blind]: "Please note that Sony has yet to announce cost prices for PlayStation 4 products. The price stated above is therefore liable to change prior to the release date. With our Pre-order Price Guarantee, you can order now and if the Amazon.co.uk price decreases between the time you place your order and the release date, you'll be charged the lowest price."