As Nintendo begins moving toward $80 price tags for major AAA games and Xbox briefly considers a similar path, EA has staked out its current stance: no $80 titles...for the time being.
"We are not planning any pricing adjustments at this point," stated CEO Andrew Wilson during today's Q1 earnings call. He offered this response to an investor question about competing publishers launching $80 games and where EA positions itself in that landscape.
Wilson elaborated:
This is within the context of already providing a fairly wide range of pricing across our portfolio. From free-to-play offerings to our premium titles and deluxe editions, our focus is consistently on covering the full spectrum of price points. This allows us to best serve our players and deliver outstanding value. We will keep evaluating opportunities to provide great value through various pricing models over time, but no significant shifts are on the immediate horizon.
EA also clarified during the call that its current fiscal year earnings guidance does not incorporate any alterations to existing pricing. With the fiscal year concluding in March 2026, no $80 EA games are anticipated before then. This means titles such as Madden NFL 26, EA Sports FC 26, and seemingly Battlefield 6 are not slated for an $80 price, despite contrary rumors from some sources.
EA is not alone in hesitating to match Nintendo's $80 pricing for major releases like Mario Kart World. Xbox recently announced The Outer Worlds 2 and some other unspecified holiday titles would be priced at $80, only to walk back the decision following feedback. While Randy Pitchford previously defended a potential $80 price for Borderlands 4, the final price settled at $70. Beyond these, it remains uncertain which future games might target the higher price point, though many are watching Grand Theft Auto 6 as a likely candidate.
