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.