Luxury Games:The Most Expensive Games Ever Made

Video games are becoming expensive to produce. Some luxury games cost more than the most expensive feature films. Unlike those in movies, game developers and publishers choose not to disclose the amount it costs to make the games. The disclosed amounts are normally based on an estimate proffered by analysts. The figures released take into account production, marketing, and packaging costs.

In this piece, we discover the most expensive games ever made:

Red Dead Redemption 2

The game is set in the Old West, where Arthur Morgan, a member of the Van der Linde gang, is set to survive government forces and rival gangs, among other adversaries, during the Wild West’s decline. During the opening weekend, the game made over $725 million in sales in three days and shipped over 17 million copies in two weeks. Developed by Rockstar Studios, the development costs are estimated to range between $170 – 240 million. On the other hand, marketing costs are estimated at $200 – 300, bringing the total cost to a whopping $370 – 540 million.

Cybepunk 2077

From the developers of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the game was developed by a team of about 500 people. The game draws its inspiration from The Blade Runner film produced in 1982, the video game System Shock, manga anime series Ghost in the Shell, and Deus Ex video game. The game is set in an American megacity, Night City, that relies on robotics for everyday aspects such as maintenance and waste disposal. Customizable players are offered quests to fuel their stats in a city where the poor have cybernetic modifications, and there is a rise in cosmetic addiction and violence. The game is considered to have had the largest digital game launch and made $609 million in sales by 31 December 2020. Development costs for this futuristic utopian game amounted to an estimated $121 million and marketing costs of about $209 million. The amount totals to a staggering $330 million.

Star Citizen

Developed as Freelancer’s spiritual successor, Star Citizen is a multiplayer combat simulation and space trading game. Pre-productions of the game began in 2010, and the game was later announced in 2012 through a campaign that raised $2 million. The game was developed by Cloud Imperium Games who are known for the highest crowd-funded projects, having raised over $300 million by June 2020. The game’s development costs are estimated at over $275 million and about $45 million for the marketing costs totaling up to $320 million.

Grand Theft Auto V

The game was developed by Rockstar North and is action adventure-themed. Since Grand Theft Auto (GTA) IV’s release in 2008, GTA V was the first entry into the series. The game is based on following a retired bank robber, an arms smuggler, and a street gangster around Southern California as they commit heists. The game’s developers drew influence from previous projects such as Max Payne 3 and Red Dead Redemption. GTA V generated over $815 million in sales within the first 24 hours of its release. The game’s development costs are estimated at $137 million, while the marketing costs at about $128 million. The total cost sums up to an astounding $265 million.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

The game is a first-person shooter game and a sixth installment on the Call of Duty series. A separate version of the game was released for the Nintendo DS under a different name known as Modern Warfare: Mobilized. A special task force led by Captain Soap MacTavish hunts down Vladamir Makarov to protect Washington DC from a Russian invasion. Within the first 24 hours of releasing the game, it sold over 4.7 million units in the US and the UK, cashing in a revenue of $310 million. The cost of development is estimated at $50 million and a marketing cost of about $200 million. The amount sums up to a generous $250 million.

There is an extended list of expensive luxury games ever made, but the above list is a great place to start. If the observed trend is any indication, the future game franchises are bound to be even pricier to develop.