The development cost of Black Ops Cold War (2020) was a staggering $700 million, compared to its prequels COD: Black Ops 3 (2015) and COD: Modern Warfare (2019) which cost $450 million and $640 million respectively. These figures include development costs over the games’ lifecycles. Genshin Impact, a free-to-play RPG, initially cost around $100 million, with an additional $200 million annually for development by HoYoverse. Star Citizen, a “space trading and combat simulation” game, has cost over $400 million and is still unreleased. COD: Black Ops holds the title as the most expensive game ever made. Classic retro games like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Final Fantasy VII cost significantly less to develop compared to modern games. The rising costs of game development can be attributed to technological advancements, marketing, distribution, and post-launch support, as well as the salaries of talented game developers required for creating more sophisticated games. The success of COD: Black Ops in terms of sales and critical reception indicates that the investment may have been worth it for Activision.
Original article by www.oldschoolgamermagazine.com
