Former Blizzard president Mike Ybarra accused Microsoft of using a tariff excuse to justify a second price increase for Xbox consoles, after the company confirmed another rise that pushes the Xbox Series X 2TB to $799.99.
Microsoft confirmed last week that the 2TB Xbox Series X now costs $799.99, up from $599.99 at the start of the year. The company previously attributed an earlier increase to new US tariffs on imported hardware. Ybarra says that the explanation only fits a single bump, not repeated hikes.
On Twitter, Ybarra wrote, “Console price increases are not tariff issues, they are profit issues.” He added that while a one-time tariff increase can justify an initial rise, ongoing increases without new tariff changes pose a different problem, making consumers pay for deeper business issues.
Xbox has been under pressure this year, including several rounds of layoffs and project cancellations. Those moves have been widely reported, and critics say they point to financial and strategic challenges inside the company. Microsoft has not offered a detailed public breakdown tying the latest price change to specific costs.
Ybarra has commented regularly on Xbox matters since leaving Blizzard, weighing in on everything from corporate decisions to specific game series. His latest comments landed on social media and drew attention because they frame the price increases as a profit decision rather than a trade cost shift.
Tweet with Ybarra’s comment:
Console price increases are not tariff issues, they are profit issues. And the reason why profits are not where they should be is a far, far deeper issue vs. the tariff excuse.
— Mike Ybarra 😇 (@Qwik) September 19, 2025
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