Video Games That Cost More Than $100 Million To Make
Nowadays video games are the opportunity not only to relax in spare time with friends online, such as in Wolf Spiele but also to improve your skills, make money due to gaming and others. However, we do not understand how a lot goes into creating a successful video game. Think about the endless person-hours put into figuring out the ideal concept, pre-production, production, and post-production stages, and the budget to fund all this. It’s no wonder that video game companies are known to take up to 10 years to make video game perfection, one that’ll bag millions of dollars in profit.
In the end, the amount of money put into the production may contribute significantly to its success. For instance, video games such as Deadpool and Red Dead Redemption are estimated to have cost almost $100. However, some far surpass this amount. Check them out.
Destiny
If you’ve been keeping up with video game platforms, you know that the most expensive video game ever made, “Destiny,” is coming out soon. This video game comes with an unbelievable $500 million price tag. Its $140 million development cost alone exceeds the total cost of some of the most popular video games online.
According to a leaked contract between the publisher and the developer, the rest of the amount went into royalties, marketing, and distribution. The video game “Destiny” is so expensive that its budget exceeds the “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”- the most expensive film ever made- by $200 million.
Grand Theft Auto IV
From development to marketing, “Grand Theft Auto” is estimated to cost between $137 million to $265 million. In 2013, it won 7 Guinness World Records, among them being “the fastest video game to make $1billion” and “the best-selling action-adventure video game within 24 hours”.
Many players still enjoy “Grand Theft Auto IV” thanks to its inclusive multiplayer and extensive video game graphics. However, you should note that its profits far exceeded its production and marketing costs, a similar situation was with the game, Mr. Bet. Grand Theft Auto had a massive team of 250 employees working over 5 years to produce it, and it’s said that marketing alone costs $69- 109.3 million.
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was released in the COD franchise as its sixth edition. A total of $250 million is estimated to have been put into the successful franchise, with almost $40-$50 million of the total budget going into development.
The remainder of $200 million was put into marketing. The decision to do this ultimately paid off since 4 million copies were sold in its first 24hrs of being on the market and, as a result, raking in millions on profits for the franchise.
Star Wars: The Old Republic
Star Wars: The Old Republic reportedly cost $200 million and was the most expensive video game ever made at the time of its release. It garnered almost one million subscribers during the first three days following its launch. Players pay nearly $15 for subscription fees each month and $60 for purchase. At the time of its launch, it was also among the fastest-growing video game genres.
Even though the developers have never officially disclosed their actual budget, it’s reported that most of it were spent on marketing. Star Wars: The Old Republic had an army of 800 working on it for almost six years. It has nearly 4,000 characters that required the input of 1,000 actors to run lines.
Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy came out in 1997 and had a marketing budget of almost $100 million in the U.S. alone. It was developed by Square and is the seventh edition in its series. The main character is Cloud Strife, a mercenary whose mission is to save the planet by getting rid of a mega-corporation intent on destroying the earth with the help of a superhuman called Sephiroth.
Final Fantasy VII and other video games in the series are still very popular, so the budget of almost $200 million is justified. This game’s video game development is estimated to be slightly over $145 million, with $100 going into marketing and $45 million to develop.
Final Thoughts
Of course, many other video games whose budgets slightly exceeded $100 million didn’t make this list. Some of the most notable ones include online casino games such as Book of Ra that gives an individual the same excitement and satisfaction of playing a video game online. These would fit perfectly into any video game definition.
With that in mind, we can’t wait to see whether video game ratings for Legend of Zelda will go up after a 9.0 rated copy of it was sold for a whopping $870,000 on the American NES. However, the amount is attributed to the rarity of the video game.
Have you played any of the video games on our list? Do you think they were worth the budget? Please share your thoughts with us.
Author’s Bio
Jeremy Ambrose is a game writer. He has been the creative lead of different entertainment companies and started his career writing scripts and stories for role-playing games. Jeremy claims to have a soft spot for horror genres and is looking to use his MFA in film production to direct his film.
