As Nintendo takes the first step toward selling full-priced, AAA games at $80 and Xbox starts to follow suit but backs off, EA has now made its position clear: no $80 games...for now.

Electronic Arts (EA) has announced that it does not plan to introduce $80 games during its current fiscal year, which ends in March 2026. CEO Andrew Wilson clarified during a recent earnings call that EA will maintain its existing pricing strategy, offering a range of options from free-to-play to premium editions, and does not anticipate any dramatic changes in pricing for upcoming titles such as Madden NFL 26, EA Sports FC 26, and Battlefield 6.

This decision comes as other major publishers, including Nintendo and Xbox, have experimented with higher price points for new releases, sometimes reversing these decisions after public criticism. EA's stance contrasts with some industry trends, as the company emphasizes value and accessibility for its players.

EA says no $80 games for now

What's up, everybody? Damon here, and in today's gaming news, EA says it isn't planning on selling $80 games for now, Mario Kart World reverses course on a controversial update, and The Bad Guys 2 has an in-credits message for AI. This is your Daily Fix. As Nintendo takes the first step towards selling full-price AAA games at $80, and Xbox starts to follow suit but backs off, EA has now made its position clear. No $80 games for now. We're not looking to make any changes on pricing at this stage, said CEO Andrew Wilson during yesterday's Q1 earnings call. He said this in response to an investor question regarding competitors beginning to release $80 games and where EA sees itself in relation to them. Wilson continued, we already offer a fairly broad pricing scheme across our various products. When you think about everything from free-to-play through to our premium products and deluxe editions, our orientation is always to capture the full spectrum of pricing so that we can serve players in the best way possible and offer them the greatest value. We'll continue to look at opportunities to deliver great value to our players through various pricing schemes over the course of time, but no dramatic changes planned yet. EA also confirmed on the call that it wasn't planning any changes to its game prices for the current fiscal year. Its current fiscal year ends in March of 2026, so don't expect any $80 EA games between now and then. That means games like Madden NFL 26, EA Sports FC 26, and seemingly Battlefield 6 shouldn't be $80. Xbox recently announced The Outer Worlds 2 would be $80 alongside some other unknown holiday game releases only to reverse that decision after it sparked criticism. And while Randy Pitchford defended a potential 80 price point for Borderlands 4, it turned out to only be $70 after all. Apart from that, it's unclear what other games will aim for that higher number in the future, though one likely contender that many are watching is Grand Theft Auto 6. Moving on, Nintendo has updated Switch 2 launch title Mario Kart World with a fresh patch that pulls a notable U-turn on a recent controversial change. Last month, Nintendo upset Mario Kart fans by nerfing the game's random course selection option when playing in versus mode, something many players were deliberately using to try and opt out of open-world driving whenever possible. Unlike the game's suggested next race options, random allowed players to land on a track further afield, which then would be played as a distinct three-lap race in traditional Mario Kart style, rather than play a so-called intermission track where a bulk of the next race is taken up by simply driving to the course through the game's open world. Now, Nintendo has hit the brakes, reversed course, and pulled a Yui on this change. In the latest patch notes for Mario Kart World Update 1.2.0, which is available to download now, Nintendo said it has increased the frequency of lap-type courses appearing in the selection when choosing the next course in versus race and wireless races. This should please the number of fans who complained loudly about Nintendo's previous change, and who said it was a sign Nintendo was forcing players to drive through lengthy stretches of the game's less interesting open world, rather than via its tighter, more curated actual courses. The latest update is a chunky one with a slew of tweaks and bug fixes for Nintendo's open-world racer. A handful of new features include the ability to view replays after downloading time trial ghost data, and to choose who to spectate in Knockout Tour and Balloon Battle. You can find the full patch notes at IGN.com. And finally today, DreamWorks has included a warning in the Bad Guys 2 credits that makes it clear the film should not be used to train AI. DreamWorks Studios included a clause at the end of the credits for the film that lets viewers know it cannot be used to train AI, and if it is, lawyers will come knocking. The Bad Guys 2 doesn't premiere in theaters for a couple more days, but some eagle-eyed viewers caught the sting at the end of the credits during early screenings. To be fair, it isn't the first time the studio has been vocal about keeping its work out of the hands of AI models. The live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon, which premiered in June, also had a similar tag at the end of the credits, making sure folks knew the legal repercussions of attempting to use any part of the film in an AI program. Not everyone in Hollywood has the same attitude, however. Last year, Netflix said audiences don't much care about either budgets for film and TV, or even the technology used to make them, and that generative AI was a great way for creators to tell better stories. Last month, Disney joined forces with Universal to sue Midjourney for copyright infringement, stating that the AI-powered image generator is a bottomless pit of plagiarism. Generative AI is one of the hottest topics within the video game and entertainment industries. It has drawn criticism from players and creators due to a mix of ethical issues, rights issues, and AI's struggle to produce content audiences actually enjoy. And that is your Daily Fix for Wednesday, July 30th. Now is a great time to score some incredible games through Humble. Live now through August 5th, grab Warhammer 40K, Rogue Trader, Daemon X Machina, Death's Door, Cat Quest III, and more. Whether you're building your backlog or discovering something new, it's the perfect time to pick up these fan favorites. Plus, every purchase supports a good cause. This month, your Humble Choice membership supports Covenant House. Get a curated mix of PC games every month, all for just $14.99. Skip a month or cancel any time, and know that 5% of your membership goes to charity. And a special bonus, Humble is actually running a deal on this bundle, so use code JULY25 to get this month's selection for only 10 bucks. I'm Damon Hatfield, and for all your video game news, stay tuned to IGN.

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