There are video games, when you play them you knock out world stages, unlock new levels and uncover every hidden secret beneath the keyboard. Until they run dry of deepest secrets and you realize there is no more adventure to discover. You, therefore, pack them and go window shopping for the next blockbuster computer game.
There are other games, which when you play you cannot stop. You play them for years because in every level lies a profound mystery. You are hooked to the suspense with a never-ending glam to stick to your keyboard/joystick. These are the favorite games that fascinate us, adults and kids, alike. Since decades ago, gaming has been a source of entertainment. The interactivity and user experience has developed over time into a modern battlefield of which are the coolest games ever. It is hard to mention the hottest game thereof without mentioning the feel of those graphics that makes you feel like you are solving a real-world crisis. Let us take a look at the world’s most expensive game.
Grand Theft Auto V (Budget $265 Million)
The cost of bringing Grand Theft Auto out into the market from the development board coast almost $265 million. The whole price combines both the development and marketing cost.It is worth noting that the game broke the industry sales records down and became the fastest and best-selling video game on the planet. Estimates have it that the most expensive video game made revenue of up to $800 Million from its first release and $1 Billion after selling for a meagre three days. The massive development budget was a result of its detailed open world environment, a compelling yet enticing storyline and deep online interactivity mode that made the game the best of its time. Behind its belt, GTA V has sold more than 80 Million copies of the game to PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 etc. We can therefore not ignore the fact that rockstar (The company behind GTA V) made a return on investment.
Rockstar also released another high-cost game dubbed Grand Theft IV (GTA IV). The game’s producer, Leslie Benzies stated in a press conference that the game cost approximately $100 Million for its development. It is quite stunning world’s costliest game to produce. That had over 1000 people working on it and laying the facts that it took three and a half years to build. GTA IV sold more than 600,000 game copies the first day of release in the UK alone. The sales gross estimated a record of over $400 Million globally in the first week of its release. The level map for GTA 4 as you might have noticed is larger compared to the GTA version that would be released six years after GTA 4. Simply put GTA 4 is one of the ingenious titles to be created in world history. Therefore it cost $100 million for nothing given that there was more than a 500% return on investment in its year.
Star Wars: The Old Republic
This massively multiplayer dynamic game cost Bioware over $200 million for its development. The first release was created for Microsoft Windows and was only available in the early days for individuals that had made a pre-order online. The game development team had over 800 developers on board coming from different continents who took about six years to come up with the final copy of the game. You will be shocked to note that the game’s storyline runs for 1,600 hours. Making it one of the most compelling and thrilling video game in history. In fact, the developers are working to extend further the hours and make the game more engaging and captivating. The game contains over 4000 characters from three different languages whose dialogues were created by over 1000 characters. Within the games first three days of release, it had acquired a massive subscription of one million followers. The company claims the game made profits of over $140 million in its first year of release. As a result of the engrossing plot, several comic books have been made from the game.
Final Fantasy 7 ($145 Million) The development of Final Fantasy VII’s had a stunning figure of more than 120 coders and creatives onboard. On a 1995 spring, these programmers teamed up to use PowerAnimator and Softimage 3D that served as the core technologies for building the game. Title number seven in the Final Fantasy required the biggest budget and was the most expensive among the rest of the titles. It was the most expensive game to be created in its time. The development alone cost $45 million while $100 million were set aside for marketing efforts. Cost $100. The game’s fan base and enthusiasts have contributed to Final Fantasy’s massive success through the creation of game clubs, blogging and social media.
Red Dead Redemption ( $100 Million)
This western themed video game cost Rockstar entertainment between $80 -$100 million. The development team for Red Dead Redemption comprised over 800 individuals from Rockstar San Diego. It has taken more than half a decade to port the game to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The development began back in 2004 and fans refer to it as the epic battle game for survival. The game’s reception has been quite gradual but excellent. More than 11 million copies of the game had been sold by 2011. The figure reached 17 million by 2017.
Conclusion
It is not entirely reasonable to judge the success of a game from its development cost. Therefore it is not apparent that the most expensive game in the world will be the best selling game. However, the budget on most occasions determines most costly game features that are likely to make the game stand out. Fortunately, game development teams behind such high budget games always do their homework of market research before delving into a project. That is why we can witness high sales record just on the first day of a game’s release.
