List of most expensive video games to develop (English Wikipedia)

Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "List of most expensive video games to develop" in English language version.

refsWebsite

Global rank English rank

25web.archive.org

1^st place

6latimes.com

22^nd place

19^th place

5eurogamer.net

288^th place

218^th place

5gamespot.com

125^th place

104^th place

4polygon.com

180^th place

133^rd place

4kotaku.com

401^st place

271^st place

4gamesindustry.biz

1,124^th place

697^th place

3ign.com

53^rd place

44^th place

3gamingbolt.com

6,324^th place

3,782^nd place

3nytimes.com

7^th place

3newspapers.com

55^th place

36^th place

2wikipedia.org

low place

2gamesradar.com

376^th place

257^th place

2engadget.com

466^th place

349^th place

2gamasutra.com

704^th place

507^th place

2bloomberg.com

99^th place

77^th place

1scribd.com

482^nd place

552^nd place

1variety.com

13^th place

12^th place

1cloudimperiumgames.com

low place

1cdprojekt.com

low place

1archive.today

14^th place

11up.com

1,288^th place

813^th place

1youtube.com

9^th place

13^th place

1videogameschronicle.com

2,335^th place

1,377^th place

1bfcentral.net

low place

1challenges.fr

2,001^st place

9,086^th place

1squarehaven.com

low place

1gamepressure.com

low place

9,354^th place

1avclub.com

136^th place

93^rd place

1slate.com

259^th place

188^th place

1worldcat.org

5^th place

1venturebeat.com

616^th place

430^th place

1usatoday.com

41^st place

34^th place

1pcgamer.com

428^th place

286^th place

1vg247.com

1,057^th place

782^nd place

1hs.fi

647^th place

1,692^nd place

1eastbaytimes.com

5,979^th place

3,198^th place

1ibtimes.com

911^th place

628^th place

1usgamer.net

2,202^nd place

1,338^th place

1theguardian.com

12^th place

11^th place

1wsj.com

79^th place

65^th place

1timeextension.com

low place

1edmontonjournal.com

4,555^th place

2,614^th place

1forbes.com

54^th place

48^th place

1bbc.co.uk

8^th place

10^th place

1seattletimes.com

519^th place

316^th place

1rpgamer.com

5,272^nd place

3,109^th place

1hollywoodreporter.com

15^th place

16^th place

1up.com

"Essential 50: Final Fantasy VII". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2013.

archive.today

"Essential 50: Final Fantasy VII". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2013.

avclub.com

Phipps, Keith (February 2, 2005). "Howard Scott Warshaw". A.V. Club. Retrieved June 16, 2016.

bbc.co.uk

Geoghegan, Kev (May 27, 2011). "Will L.A. Noire change the game for actors?". BBC News.

bfcentral.net

"EA CCO: Battlefield 4 budget was $100 million". bfcentral. March 14, 2014. Archived from the original on October 23, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2021.

bloomberg.com

"Investor Who Risked It All on 'Wukong' Scores Another Sales Win". Bloomberg News. September 5, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
Schreier, Jason (November 3, 2021). "Take-Two's 2K Cancels $53 Million Game From Hangar 13". Bloomberg News. Retrieved November 8, 2021.

cdprojekt.com

"2020 results" (PDF). cdprojekt.com. April 2021. p. 2. Retrieved September 13, 2021.

challenges.fr

gamers.blogs.challenges.fr

Mosca, Marco (June 18, 2013). "Watch Dogs, le très gros budget d'Ubisoft". Challenges. Archived from the original on May 14, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2014.

cloudimperiumgames.com

"Cloud Imperium Financials for 2022". Cloud Imperium Games. January 1, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.

eastbaytimes.com

"'Grand Theft Auto IV' rolling out". East Bay Times. April 28, 2008. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.

edmontonjournal.com

Kent, Gordon (March 1, 2017). "Edmonton's BioWare uses upcoming release of Mass Effect: Andromeda to push for industry tax credits". Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on June 20, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2018.

engadget.com

Rehard, Jef (August 22, 2013). "Gamescom 2013: Roberts demos Star Citizen's hangar module". Engadget. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
"Heavy Rain cost $52 million but made $130 million, you do the math". Engadget. April 22, 2013.

eurogamer.net

Stanton, Rich (June 2, 2013). "Final Fantasy 7 retrospective". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
Robinson, Martin (June 22, 2015). "Yu Suzuki wants $10 million to make a truly open world Shenmue 3". Eurogamer.
"Ubisoft discusses next-generation game budgets". Eurogamer.net. May 16, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
Purchese, Robert (April 19, 2013). "Heavy Rain cost €16.7 million to make and made Sony "more than €100 million"". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
"Half-Life 2: $40 million in, still Steaming forward". Eurogamer. March 22, 2004. Retrieved June 16, 2016.

forbes.com

Bercovici, Jeff (November 26, 2012). "With 'Defiance,' Comcast's Syfy Bets $100M On Convergence Of TV And Videogames". Forbes. Retrieved April 19, 2016.

gamasutra.com

Sheffield, Brandon (March 2, 2011). "GDC 2011: Yu Suzuki: 'Sega Will Probably Let Me Make Shenmue 3'". Gamasutra.com. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
Remo, Chris (November 5, 2009). "Yamauchi: Gran Turismo 5's Development Cost Hit $60 Million". Gamasutra.com. Archived from the original on May 11, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2014.

gamepressure.com

Blazewicz, Jacob (October 24, 2023). "Lords of the Fallen Devs Reveal Sales and Announce Major Changes [Update]". Gamepressure. Retrieved October 25, 2023.

gamesindustry.biz

Dring, Christopher (May 11, 2018). "Eidos Montreal: "We have to try new models for single-player games"". GamesIndustry.biz. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on May 11, 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
Androvitch, Mark (April 30, 2008). "GTA IV: Most expensive game ever developed?". Games Industry International.
"GTA V dev costs over $137 million, says analyst". gamesindustry.biz. February 1, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
Handrahan, Matthew (March 27, 2013). "Single-player IP will cause problems for Square Enix". Gamesindustry.biz. Gamer Network. Retrieved August 29, 2021.

gamespot.com

"Dead Space 2 Dev Says Game Cost $60M To Make And Sold Millions, But Failed Commercially". Retrieved August 18, 2018.
Makuch, Eddie (September 9, 2015). "This is How Much The Witcher 3 Cost to Make". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
Makuch, Eddie (January 9, 2017). "Gears of War: Judgment Cost $60 Million and Made $100 Million, Dev Says". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
"Darksiders 2's $50 Million Budget Was "Ridiculous," Nordic Games CEO Says".
"20 of the Most Expensive Games Ever Made". GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 2, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2016.

gamesradar.com

Wood, Austin (September 19, 2024). "It's taken 4 years and roughly $900 million, but Genshin Impact is a better open-world RPG than ever after update 5.0". GamesRadar+. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
Wood, Austin (June 28, 2023). "PlayStation accidentally reveals $200m+ development costs for Horizon Forbidden West and The Last of Us Part 2". GamesRadar+. Future plc. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.

gamingbolt.com

Parijat, Shubhankar (December 19, 2023). "Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Had a Total Budget of $315 Million". GamingBolt.
Parijat, Shubhankar (December 19, 2023). "Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Has Sold Over 10.2 Million Units". GamingBolt.
Parijat, Shubhankar (December 19, 2023). "Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart Sold 2.2 Million Units, Incurred an $8 Million Loss". GamingBolt.

hollywoodreporter.com

Ward, David (September 24, 2007). "Microsoft boosts 'Halo' hype". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 29, 2022.

hs.fi

Niemi, Liisa (October 27, 2023). "Alan Wake II on yksi Suomen kalleimmista kulttuurituotteista, ja siitä voi tulla Remedylle kultakaivos" [Alan Wake II is one of the most expensive cultural products in Finland, and it can become a gold mine for Remedy]. Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Archived from the original on October 27, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2024.

ibtimes.com

Travers, Alan (February 1, 2013). "GTA 5' Costs $265 Million To Develop And Market, Making It The Most Expensive Video Game Ever Produced: Report". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2013.

ign.com

Dinsdale, Ryan (October 6, 2023). "CD Projekt Spent Roughly $125 Million Turning Cyberpunk 2077 Around Post-Launch". IGN. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
Yin-Poole, Wesley (March 22, 2024). "Even Will Smith Couldn't Save Zombie Survival Game Undawn, Which 'Flopped Spectacularly'". IGN. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
"'I've Never Seen It This Bad:' Game Developers Explain the Huge Layoffs Hitting Riot, Epic, and More - IGN". IGN. February 12, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.

kotaku.com

Zwiezen, Zack (March 19, 2024). "Monopoly Go Spent Almost $500 Million On Marketing, More Than Spider-Man 2's Dev Budget". Kotaku. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
"How Much Does It Cost To Make A Big Video Game?". Kotaku. January 15, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
Eisenbeis, Richard (October 17, 2014). "The Long Development of Korea's Next Big MMORPG". Kotaku. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
Plunkett, Luke (April 13, 2010). "Why The Halo MMO Was Cancelled". Kotaku. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2016.

latimes.com

Fritz, Ben (November 18, 2009). "Video game borrows page from Hollywood playbook". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
Pham, Alex; Friedman, Josh (September 24, 2007). "'Halo 3' guns for $150 million". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
Kronke, David (October 15, 1994). "It's Gonna Be a Video Jungle Out There: Video-game stars Donkey Kong and Sonic the Hedgehog will battle it out with new games backed by tech advances and mega-marketing". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 18, 2015. Retrieved May 26, 2020.

herocomplex.latimes.com

Fritz, Ben (January 20, 2012). "Star Wars: The Old Republic — the story behind a galactic gamble". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
Pham, Alex; Fritz, Ben (January 11, 2011). "DC Universe Online: $50 million gamble aims for audience that World of Warcraft 'can't touch'". Hero Complex – movies, comics, pop culture – Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 19, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2016.

documents.latimes.com

Pham, Alex (May 21, 2012). "Bungie-Activision contract". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 2, 2014.

newspapers.com

Evenson, Laura (September 9, 1994). "Video games getting movie-style premieres". San Francisco Chronicle. p. 15. Retrieved October 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
"Video game set during Cold War". Los Angeles Times. November 9, 2010. p. 23. Retrieved November 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
"Nintendo fuels "Mario Mania" with "Super Mario Bros. 3"". The Indianapolis Star. April 9, 1990. p. 22. Retrieved February 20, 2021.

nytimes.com

"E.T. Starring in Sales of Toys". The New York Times. December 13, 1982. pp. D1, D8. Archived from the original on May 14, 2020.
Khan, Imad (August 1, 2020). "Like Old Hollywood Movies, Video Games Get a Polish for New Audiences". The New York Times. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
Schiesel, Seth (May 16, 2010). "Video Game Review - 'Red Dead Redemption' Brings Old West to Life". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2014.

pcgamer.com

Bolding, Jonathan (November 7, 2020). "Square Enix reports $48M loss following release of underperforming Marvel's Avengers". PC Gamer. Retrieved November 9, 2020.

polygon.com

Carpenter, Nicole (February 6, 2024). "Genshin Impact hackers sued in Canadian court". Polygon. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
"Final Fantasy 7: An oral history". Polygon. January 9, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
Crecente, Brian. "The four lives of Epic Games". Polygon. Retrieved March 27, 2018. By the end of the cycle, Gears of War 3 cost about four or five times more than the original to make.
Frank, Allegra (May 12, 2016). "Report: Fable Legends was a $75M project 'nobody' wanted to work on". Polygon. Retrieved June 7, 2016.

rpgamer.com

Long, Andrew. "Financial Fantasy X". RPGamer. Archived from the original on February 6, 2009. Retrieved November 21, 2008.

scribd.com

"Genshin Lawsuit via Polygon". Retrieved February 7, 2024.

seattletimes.com

archive.seattletimes.com

Casey Corr, O. (December 16, 1990). "Move To Level Two - Ho A Hurdle, Dodge A Fireball On The Way To Finding The Spirit Of America's Favorite Toy". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on June 28, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2018.

slate.com

Zelfden, N. Van (February 16, 2009). "What's Killing the Video-Game Business?". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved August 26, 2015.

squarehaven.com

Alder, Davon (July 29, 2000). "Square Haven News / NTV Tokyo Interviews Hironobu Sakaguchi". squarehaven.com. Retrieved April 1, 2016.

theguardian.com

Stuart, Keith (August 27, 2010). "Realtime Worlds: an inside story". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 7, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2015.

timeextension.com

Yarwood, Jack (July 30, 2024). "Did Activision's Deadpool Game Really Cost $100 Million To Make?". Time Extension. Archived from the original on July 30, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2024.

usatoday.com

Snider, Mike (October 26, 2015). "Microsoft's latest 'Halo' video game aims to power up Xbox One system". USA Today. Archived from the original on October 26, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2022.

usgamer.net

Mackey, Bob (August 14, 2014). Gaming's Greatest Flops: Too Human. USgamer.

variety.com

Lanier, Liz (May 6, 2019). "'Star Citizen': Still No Release Date in Sight, Work Environment is 'Chaotic' (Report)". Variety. Retrieved September 8, 2022.

venturebeat.com

Takahashi, Dean (October 31, 2018). "Red Dead Redemption 2 could hit 20 million in sales — and turn a profit — by December". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on November 1, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2021.

vg247.com

Nunneley, Stephany (September 8, 2011). "Max Payne 3 could cost Rockstar $105 million to develop, says analyst". VG247. Retrieved August 29, 2021.

videogameschronicle.com

Middler, Jordan (January 15, 2023). "The Callisto Protocol reportedly hasn't met publisher sales expectations". Video Games Chronicle. 1981 Media. Archived from the original on January 15, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2024.

web.archive.org

Carpenter, Nicole (February 6, 2024). "Genshin Impact hackers sued in Canadian court". Polygon. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
Fritz, Ben (November 18, 2009). "Video game borrows page from Hollywood playbook". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
Wood, Austin (June 28, 2023). "PlayStation accidentally reveals $200m+ development costs for Horizon Forbidden West and The Last of Us Part 2". GamesRadar+. Future plc. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
Middler, Jordan (January 15, 2023). "The Callisto Protocol reportedly hasn't met publisher sales expectations". Video Games Chronicle. 1981 Media. Archived from the original on January 15, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
Dring, Christopher (May 11, 2018). "Eidos Montreal: "We have to try new models for single-player games"". GamesIndustry.biz. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on May 11, 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
"EA CCO: Battlefield 4 budget was $100 million". bfcentral. March 14, 2014. Archived from the original on October 23, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
Mosca, Marco (June 18, 2013). "Watch Dogs, le très gros budget d'Ubisoft". Challenges. Archived from the original on May 14, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
Remo, Chris (November 5, 2009). "Yamauchi: Gran Turismo 5's Development Cost Hit $60 Million". Gamasutra.com. Archived from the original on May 11, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
"E.T. Starring in Sales of Toys". The New York Times. December 13, 1982. pp. D1, D8. Archived from the original on May 14, 2020.
Plunkett, Luke (April 13, 2010). "Why The Halo MMO Was Cancelled". Kotaku. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
Takahashi, Dean (October 31, 2018). "Red Dead Redemption 2 could hit 20 million in sales — and turn a profit — by December". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on November 1, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
Snider, Mike (October 26, 2015). "Microsoft's latest 'Halo' video game aims to power up Xbox One system". USA Today. Archived from the original on October 26, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
Niemi, Liisa (October 27, 2023). "Alan Wake II on yksi Suomen kalleimmista kulttuurituotteista, ja siitä voi tulla Remedylle kultakaivos" [Alan Wake II is one of the most expensive cultural products in Finland, and it can become a gold mine for Remedy]. Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Archived from the original on October 27, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
"'Grand Theft Auto IV' rolling out". East Bay Times. April 28, 2008. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
Travers, Alan (February 1, 2013). "GTA 5' Costs $265 Million To Develop And Market, Making It The Most Expensive Video Game Ever Produced: Report". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
Fritz, Ben (January 20, 2012). "Star Wars: The Old Republic — the story behind a galactic gamble". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
Schiesel, Seth (May 16, 2010). "Video Game Review - 'Red Dead Redemption' Brings Old West to Life". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
Stuart, Keith (August 27, 2010). "Realtime Worlds: an inside story". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 7, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
Yarwood, Jack (July 30, 2024). "Did Activision's Deadpool Game Really Cost $100 Million To Make?". Time Extension. Archived from the original on July 30, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
"20 of the Most Expensive Games Ever Made". GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 2, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
Kent, Gordon (March 1, 2017). "Edmonton's BioWare uses upcoming release of Mass Effect: Andromeda to push for industry tax credits". Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on June 20, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
Kronke, David (October 15, 1994). "It's Gonna Be a Video Jungle Out There: Video-game stars Donkey Kong and Sonic the Hedgehog will battle it out with new games backed by tech advances and mega-marketing". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 18, 2015. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
Pham, Alex; Fritz, Ben (January 11, 2011). "DC Universe Online: $50 million gamble aims for audience that World of Warcraft 'can't touch'". Hero Complex – movies, comics, pop culture – Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 19, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
Casey Corr, O. (December 16, 1990). "Move To Level Two - Ho A Hurdle, Dodge A Fireball On The Way To Finding The Spirit Of America's Favorite Toy". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on June 28, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
Long, Andrew. "Financial Fantasy X". RPGamer. Archived from the original on February 6, 2009. Retrieved November 21, 2008.

wikipedia.org

en.wikipedia.org

Includes ongoing costs as of 2024^[update]^[1]
US$100 million for initial development, US$200 million annually for ongoing development as of 2024^[update]^[2]^[3]^[1]

worldcat.org

search.worldcat.org

Zelfden, N. Van (February 16, 2009). "What's Killing the Video-Game Business?". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved August 26, 2015.

wsj.com

Fritz, Ben (August 25, 2013). "Disney Tries Anew to Raise Its Score on Digital Games". The Wall Street Journal.

youtube.com

"What's it's really like to work in Game industry". YouTube. July 7, 2015. Event occurs at 42:38. Retrieved September 13, 2021.