The video game industry has evolved from a niche interest that many considered to be just a “fad” back in the 1970’s to the massive, multi-billion dollar industry that it is today. Video games, like movies or music, come in all different styles and are available for a wide range of different platforms as well. Since video games have evolved with technology, you could know consider many of them to be a form of art. Many people play video games today, but a few games in particular are among the most expensive ever created. Some games have budgets that rival films from Hollywood and can easily generate $500 million dollars in sales the first day they come out. You’d probably be surprised by just how much money video game companies can pour into developing a game, which is why we are going to look at the five most expensive video games that were ever made.
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5. Final Fantasy VII – $145 Million
Originally released back in 1997, Final Fantasy VII was the 7th installment in the popular action role-playing video game series. The game was developed by Square (now Square Enix), who are based out of Japan. Development began back in 1994, and Square quickly realized that this game was going to be extremely expensive. It was the first game in the series that used full, 3D graphics and pre-rendered backgrounds which were technical achievements at the time. This game is typically remember as a landmark video game, and has subsequently be re-released and re-mastered on a few more modern platforms over the years (it just came out on iOS). All together, the game cost $145 million dollars to make, which is a lot now and even more back in 1997. In fact, at the time of its release, it was the most expensive video game ever made. Since it’s initial release, the game has sold over 11 million units worldwide.
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4. Star Wars: The Old Republic – $200 Million
The original Star Wars films pretty much changed the world, and have spawned countless spin-offs over the years, most notably video games. There are many video games that take place in the Star Wars universe, but Star Wars: The Old Republic was the most expensive one. Release in 2011 on the PC, the game was a massive multiplayer online role-playing game. Users would create characters, and then interact with each other in a massive online world. You could choose to play as either good or evil, travel to planets, and even get a job. It was similar to World of Warcraft in terms of gameplay, but obviously with Star Wars characters. The development of the game took around 6 years, over 800 people worked on it, and it finally took more than $200 million to produce and develop the game.
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3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – $250 Million
The Call of Duty franchise is one of the most financially successful video game series in the world, and their sixth installment in the series, Modern Warfare 2, was the third most expensive video game ever made. The game is a first-person shooter whose plot contains elements of a political war thriller. In the campaign mode, players fight as soliders in a fiction plot to foil the plans of an ultranationalist terrorist organization. Additionally there is an online mode where players fight other users from across the world. The video game was released in 2009, and Activision and Infinity Ward spent about $50 million to create the game. However they then dropped another $200 million to market and launch the game. To give you some perspective, The Avengers movie had a production budget of around $220 million.
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2. Grand Theft Auto V – $265 Million
Developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games, Grand Theft Auto V is the most recent installment in the highly-popular and highly-controversial Grand Theft Auto video game series. It’s a open world, action-adventure game that takes place in the fictional city of Los Santos, which is based on Los Angeles. Players take control of three different criminals as the commit larger and more dangerous heists. These are the games that parents refer too as games that make their children “violent” and “bad”. However the game is rated “Mature”, and is technically only supposed to be for those aged 17 and up. Regardless this particular game is not only really fun and well-made, it was also one of the most expensive games of all-time, costing the developers some $265 million dollars in the end. Within 24-hours of its release, the game had sales in excess of $800 million dollars. It was one of the most popular games ever made, and it is estimated that the game has sold well over 52 million units since it launched in 2013.
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1. Destiny – $500 Million
Released in 2014, Destiny is a science-fiction/fantasy first-person adventure shooter video game. The game was published by Activision and it was developed by Bungie. It was the first major video game release from Bungie since they worked on the highly-popular and successful Halo franchise. Prior to release, the hype surrounding this game was absolutely massive. However once it was released, it received mixed reviews from both players and critics alike. Some liked the game, while others did not. It was praised for the graphics, game design, and the online/social aspect, however many felt that the story was it’s weakest point. Still despite the mixed reception, it was the most expensive video game ever made. The total costs to develop and market Destiny were somewhere in the $500 million dollar range. However it was still a commercial success, and the game has well over 16 million registered players from across the world.
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