Xbox Backpedals on Price Hike: $80 Games Get Punted, $70 Is Here to Stay (For Now)

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Yo, fam — your boy PokGaiGamer here, straight outta the land of takeout boxes and Discord bans, ringing the alarm for every 1.5-gen or ABC Cantonese pok gai who’s tired of getting price-gouged every time a hot new Xbox game drops. Microsoft tried to slide in that $80 price tag on first-party titles (like, bruh, $80 — what in the dim sum inflation?) after Nintendo went full big boss and marked up Mario Kart World to that level. But the move backfired harder than my uncle at a family karaoke night. Let’s hear from our sponsor of today:

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How It Went Down

The gaming community? We weren’t having it. Pre-orders were dead on arrival, and the backlash went full toxic — not even the cute connector kids from Twitch could put a nice spin on it. Xbox saw the gamer mob coming and did a massive U-turn: “Sorry la, we go back to $70 for 2025 — and if you pre-ordered at $80, you get your money back.” Game over, wallet win.

What Can Game Designers, Marketers, and Influencers Learn from This?

• Game Designers: People love your games, but no one wants you joining the rent mafia. Focus on making bangers, not cash grabs, or the community’s gonna roast you in the forums (and Reddit, let’s be real).

• Game Marketers: Don’t blindly copy the competition, ja meh? Nintendo can get away with stuff, but Xbox can’t just hike prices without getting ratio’d into oblivion. Maybe try listening to the gamers BEFORE you launch.

• Gamers and Influencers: Never say your voice doesn't matter. That one angry thread? That TikTok roast? That boycott meme? It all adds up. The crowd can swing industry giants — so keep the memes and pressure coming.

Xbox’s $70 Stand: Why It Matters

For now, $70 is the standard for major Xbox games in 2025. Will they try shenanigans in 2026? You bet. But this round proves — you poke the hornet’s nest, you get stung (or at least ratio’d).

Call to Action

Want more pok gai takes? Help out a fellow Juk Sing grinding out YT Partner status (algorithm no give face, lah) and subscribe to our YouTube channel, where we’ll join the army of streamers memeing, raging, and spilling tea on all the gaming industry nonsense. Hit follow on our socials (@PokGaiGamer everywhere) and support your local toxic, opinionated, budget gamer. Because gaming’s expensive enough — friendship’s free.

Pok gai but powered up. See you in the chat, chingus.