How much does Call of Duty development cost? The answer will surprise you

If you’ve ever wondered how much does development cost? Call of Dutythe answer may surprise you. It takes hundreds of millions of dollars to create and distribute the most popular game. While the data is not typically publicly available, Activision disclosed it as part of the lawsuit.

According to a report by journalist Stephen Totilo, the investment required to create a popular game shooter It’s astronomical. Activision has published the cost of developing three games Call of Duty at the court hearing. The numbers provided by Patrick Kelly, the creative head of the Activision franchise, are detailed. expenses reaching $700 millionexceeding previous industry estimates.

An example is Call of Duty: Black Ops IIIdeveloped by Treyarch over three years with a team of hundreds of people. Project development costs exceeded $450 million throughout its entire life cycle. On the other side, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019), developed by Infinity Ward and released in 2019, costs exceeded $640 million.

The highest identified indicator corresponds to Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold Wara collaboration between Treyarch and Raven Software. The development costs for this game reached $700 million.a pretty big number considering the 2020 game only sold 30 million copies.

Develop Call of Duty It’s not cheap, but the sales are worth the investment.

Kelly’s deposition, filed in a California court on December 23, provides a detailed overview of the development process Call of Duty. While this is not a direct response to the main allegations in the lawsuit, it is intended to provide context for Activision’s legal team. The presentation includes specific development budgets for three games released between 2015 and 2020.

Figures provided by the now Xbox-owned studio indicate significantly higher development costs than previously reported for major video game releases. In another court filing, Sony said the development The Last of Us Part 2 exceeded $220 millionalthough the game only sold a small amount compared to Call of Duty.

Advances in technology and franchise requirements such as Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto Development budgets have increased dramatically. In case GTA VIa few months ago there were rumors that Rockstar Games budget will reach $2 billion.. The figure seems astronomical, but Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said they expect to generate $3.2 billion in revenue in the first 12 months of launch, including bookings.