Call of Duty's Record-Breaking Budgets: A Look at the Rising Costs of AAA Game Development
Recent disclosures reveal that Activision's Call of Duty franchise has reached unprecedented heights in development costs, with budgets for some titles soaring to a staggering $700 million. This surpasses previous industry benchmarks, even eclipsing the budget of Star Citizen. These figures highlight the dramatic escalation of costs in the AAA video game industry.
The development of a major video game is a massive undertaking, requiring years of work and significant financial investment. While indie games often thrive on smaller budgets secured through crowdfunding, the AAA landscape operates on a vastly different scale. Blockbuster game budgets have steadily increased over the years, dwarfing the costs of titles once considered exceptionally expensive. Games like Red Dead Redemption 2, Cyberpunk 2077, and The Last of Us Part 2, while costly, pale in comparison to the newly revealed Call of Duty figures.
Court filings from December 23rd, as reported by Game File, unveiled the development budgets for Black Ops 3, Modern Warfare (2019), and Black Ops Cold War. Black Ops Cold War leads the pack, exceeding $700 million. This game, developed over several years, sold over 30 million copies. Modern Warfare (2019) follows closely, with a development cost exceeding $640 million and sales of 41 million copies. Even Black Ops 3, the least expensive of the three at $450 million, still significantly outpaces the $220 million budget of The Last of Us Part 2.
Black Ops Cold War: A $700 Million Milestone
The budget for Black Ops Cold War represents an unparalleled high in video game development, surpassing even Star Citizen's substantial $644 million. This is particularly noteworthy considering Black Ops Cold War's funding came solely from a single company, unlike Star Citizen's extensive crowdfunding campaign spanning 11 years.
The increasing costs are clearly illustrated by comparing these figures to earlier titles. The 1997 release of Final Fantasy VII, a groundbreaking game for its time, had a budget of $40 million—a substantial sum then, but dwarfed by today's AAA game development costs. Activision's recent disclosures undeniably underscore the escalating financial demands within the modern video game industry. The implications for future Call of Duty titles, such as Black Ops 6, are significant, suggesting even higher budgets are likely.
