Just a few weeks ago, Microsoft announced a major price hike for its latest generation Xbox home consoles. The 2020-released Xbox Series X|S hardware prices jumped by up to $70 across the board this time, making it the second price hike for the consoles in 2025. Now, another price increase is hitting the hardware, but this time it"s affecting developers.
It"s the Xbox development kits that are the targets this time. These are what Microsoft offers to third-party game development studios to help them make games for the Xbox platform. Until now, these specialized hardware kits have cost $1,500. According to a new report from The Verge, which has seen an announcement sent to Xbox developers, Microsoft is making a $500 price increase to the Xbox Development Kit (XDK), making them $2,000.
"The adjustment reflects macroeconomic developments," Microsoft had said in an announcement towards developers regarding this 33% hike in price. "We remain committed to providing high-quality tools and support for your development efforts."
Per the Verge, the change is being carried out immediately, unlike the home console price hike, which gave some warning beforehand. In the same vein, the publication says that this isn"t a United States-specific change either. Game development studios from other regions should see similar price increases for Xbox Development Kits from Microsoft as well.
Aside from hardware price hikes, Microsoft also made significant changes to its Game Pass subscriptions program recently. This included a price increase of 50% for the Ultimate plan while changing what is included in almost every tier. See all the details here.
With price increases hitting almost every aspect of Xbox hardware and services, it"s inclear what will Microsoft target next. It might bring back its games price increase plans next. The company wanted to bump up Xbox first-party game prices to $80 earlier this year, but ended up not going through with it.