<![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever - Kotaku Comments]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever - Kotaku Comments]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @Aresef: Also you have to consider the amount of middleware that GTA4 has as opposed to Shenmue which was all from the ground up. It costs money for licensing the technology but to build it from the ground up like Shenmue did, that costs exponentially more.

mullinsmcd

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> You all are forgetting about the next Killzone. That budget is going to come close or exceed 70-100 million and has a not so great chance of making it all back.

mullinsmcd

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @cheeses: heh, except when san andreas and MGS3 came out, no?

@Captain Impulse: so very much love for shenmue 2.

i echo most everyone else's sentiments here on all things shenmue.

TheIrishNinja

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> apologies, well that is a healthy chunk of change, I stand corrected.

majatt

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Since MGS4 only needs to sell 1 million copies on day 1 to recoup costs, the production might be closer to 50 millions dollars.

mcool93

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]>


+ Watch video

^ Classic. :)


kubevubin

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @DARTH_TIGRIS: Yeah exactly, just like Star Trek The Motion Picture was saddled with the costs for all the failed films/TV projects that were attempted, Shenmue's bill also includes the Saturn version and Shenmue II. In fact I've heard Shenmue II was actually finished first and Shenmue I was then made as an introduction. I'm not sure why they'd do it that way round, but it would explain why Shenmue I did look slightly nicer graphically in some ways.

photoboy

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @Huatnee:

I'm pretty sure it was for the entire Shenmue project, which started on the Saturn (vid below; looked very far along) and was switched to Dreamcast and included a lot of production on Shenmue 2.


+ Watch video



DARTH_TIGRIS

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> if shenmue III come out i would buy it now matter what console it's on, even if it's mean I have to pay 400 bucks to buy a ps3 or whatever.

dhlt25

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @KrsJin: Shenmue was in development for 8 years.

Aresef

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> The thing about Shenmue being $70 million is all the money poured into tech stuff used in Shenmue II and all the research AM2 had to do and the simple fact that nobody had ever done something like it before.

While Liberty City was/is certainly larger than Yokosuka, Shenmue focused on making every inch of the city true to life.

It didn't need to be controversial to be good. I think that, quite often, games (all media, in fact) use controversy and edginess as a placeholder for substance. If Ryo beat hookers and bought crack at the pier, I guarantee you Shenmue would have sold countless millions.

But that wasn't Suzuki's vision. Suzuki envisioned anchoring a story in this world. A great story that begins with a murder and slowly expands into so much more. Bashing Shenmue 1 for being boring is like bashing the first chapter of a Dickens novel for being inconclusive.

Those of you out there who didn't buy either Shenmue game owe it to yourselves to pick it up. Those who didn't like the first one, give the sequel a second look. All the accolades people are giving the game are well-deserved.

Aresef

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> make people remember shenmue, raise awareness, make a random video, do stuff do anything to make people sit up an notice the travesty of the forgotten trilogy. I want it remembered, by the end of my course Im going to make a game, I want to make a new FREE genre game. I will update the world of forums and kotaku in a few months for devs, if anyone is interested.

Kikou-Shou

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @Travezy:

The problem with your comparison is that you are not taking into account rentals of sales of the DVD, and how much of the budget was covered by sponsorship.

LostToys

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Well, it's not a 9 year-game, for one. It's more like a 12 year-old game. It was initially developed for the Sega Saturn, but after the Saturn's death was assured, Suzuki's team had to start over and recreate the game on the Dreamcast hardware.

The vast amount of money came for not just the multiple iterations of the game, but for all the ground-breaking development...which was meant to be turned around into future installments, effectively diffusing the costs. The game managed to sell 1.2 million copies, so it's one of the most popular games the DC had...but as the DC started losing the war, Shenmue was a victim. Shenmue II was equally awesome (and I played it the way it was meant to be played, on the DC), although different.

It's only a shame that the game ended on a cliff-hanger. Sigh. Someday, perhaps.

WizarDru

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Pombar is right, Too Human is going to cost 3 x $100 million isn't it?

Chriky

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Shenmue was awesome, one of the most immersing gaming experiences I've ever had for sure, I really miss my DC :'( .

The thing I don't get is how Shenmue has been the most expensive game "For the past 18 years or so", wasn't it realeased in the year 2.000???

jaczor

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @TheTimeRanger:

Don't play with my emotions.

I don't get how for the past 18 years a 9 year old game has clenched the highest production costs.

KrsJin

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> I remember there being some show on G4 some years ago that dealt with "top 10" game lists, as voted on by "the fans" (totally forget the name of the show). One particular show infuriated me, because it was a top 10 "worst games of all time" list, and according to "the fans", the worst game was not ET for the 2600 but Shenmue! What kinda acid were "the fans" dropping to make that declaration?

relic1980

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @Sloopydrew: Amen to that, one of the finest slices of 'game pie' the world has ever seen.

TearsandScreams

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Oh Shenmue, I pine for thee.

I'll never forget the day I noticed the train I was on ended up in Yokosuka... I decided to stay on it till the end and went around the place... it was worryingly emotional for me!

Dobuita street was scarily accurate to the game, even 20 years on from it's setting...

Northernsky

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Didn't Too Human already apparently exceed this amount by loooads?

Pombar

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Game studios in general do not make that much off of games. An excellent studio (were they independant) gets about 8-10% if they have a shrewd negotiatior. Sometimes that figure will get whittled down over development as they need more time to finish their game. Retailers pull between 16-20% and the rest goes to the publisher. Which is not a bad deal when you consider the publisher is taking all the risks and has the most responsibilites.

I do not think you can really compare movies to games either. For one the movie industry has a dual release cycle. They release to theaters and make a good amount, then you have the dvd sales that comes after that. They basicily get to double dip in consumers pockets.

Fabierien

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> I totally bought Shenmue in an OddJob bin for like $9. It was a pretty good time, got really hooked on it. I didn't realize that so much money got into it, though. Daaang.

GamerBunny

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @branchclarke: Hahahaha...nice one.

I always liked playing that QTE boxing game. Very cool.

kubevubin

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Top Shenmue Moment: My roomate throwing a phonebook at my door after hearing " Would you like to play lucky hit?" for the 10,000th time.

heeeuunnng......LEFT.......heeengnngg ..RIGHT RIGHT RIGHT RIGHT!!

branchclarke

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Wow, I can't believe it was Shenmue that was that expensive. I remember getting the game and being all excited to play it after all the buzz it had. Then I played it for a few hours and got bored & sleeping I put away the game forever.

baronv

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Man, I remember seeing the intro to Shenmue the first time. Oh my God...the poly count on that woman's face is incredible!

I kinda lost interested whenever you get the job as forklift operator, sadly. I really need to play it again. The game's pretty bad-ass, but it kinda starves you for action at times.

kubevubin

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Please adjust the budgets to inflation... please...

LittlestLamshi

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Favorite fact about Shenmue was the quote saying that every single DC owner had to buy two copies in order for it to turn a profit. About the only thing I remember about the game though (other than wasting a lot of money on the vending machines).

aveneyer

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Shenmue: "Why is there so much to do? I just want to get through the story!"
GTA: "There's so much to do, you don't even have to go through the story!"

Shenmue: "Oh God, NPCs are so boring. They just live like normal people. Why aren't they standing around waiting for me? And I have to talk to them too?"
GTA: "And the NPCs just go around living their lives! You could spend all day just following them around and not playing the game at all. And if you talk to them, they'll curse at you!"

Shenmue: "The city's so big, but you don't even need most of it to finish the game. I have to go back and forth to do things? No thanks."
GTA: The city's so big, you can get lost just driving around! Doesn't that sound fun? You can spend the whole day just driving around, lost, in total ecstasy!"

All the things used to criticize Shenmue were used to praise Grand Theft Auto. If Shenmue had had more prostitutes, I'm sure it would have made its money back, and Sega fanboys today would be bragging that the Dreamcast 3 just got yet another exclusive game to rub in the face of owners of all the dying consoles.

sxp151, the happy-headed nose

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Shenmue!!! That was one of my favorite games ever. The storyline and the depth, everything was just awesome! Shenmue 2 was great too but it was too short and then they just... stopped. They didn't even complete the story/trilogy which kinda pissed me off. Classic!!!

turbofreak

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @Sloopydrew: I don't think Shenmue was that big a factor when you look at the overall picture. If it was? What a way to go.

I know, it's like dying while having sex.

I wish I could find a store that let me return games just because I didn't like them. I've never had that happen (with one exception after LOTS of whining).

My wife successfully returned Final Fantasy VII for a full refund after she'd opened it and played it for a few hours. I think the store employees were so shocked that she hated it, they were just like "ok".

@Siegeman: So inserting that third disc didn't give you the slightest inkling that you were near the end of the game? I call bullshit, and "sarcastic comment just for the sake of making one".

Billkwando

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> I'd like to know where that budget of Shenmue went, because they haven't released the third game, and they canned the NA release for II on Dreamcast, and just shoved it on the Xbox. After that it didn't seem like such a great game to me >.> Where is it now?

SDreamer

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @Siegeman:

One day people might be saying that about GTA4. Not trying to hate, just saying that you never know how games will evolve.

maxnyc

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Shemue was by far one of the best and most inovative games I have ever played. I misss it so.

Metropolis

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> I never knew Shenmue cost so much. That really surprised me. That said, it's definitely a thinking person's game so it stands to reason that Grand Theft Auto sold and will sell more. The gameplay is totally different in my opinion as well though.

flclkris

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Sega might not be around long enough to make Shenmue 3. ><

Shinryoma

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @majatt: fist of all im pretty sure they're gunna sell more the 10 million copies over-time....and look at it this way they're not making money only from the consumers, they're making money from companies who would like to advertise in there game(I'm not 100% sure, im just explaining the most likely possibilty)...there are plenty of factors that go into making profit from a game, frankly, its too much for our minds, only the gods of the industry can know everything!!!!!!

themule

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @majatt:

$60*10,000,000 = $600,000,000, you missed a zero.

Besides, most of the budget was probably spent on blow and hookers. You know, for research.

phicaluk

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> I think your maths may be a bit out...

6 x 10,000,000 = 60,000,000
60 x 10,000,000 = 600,000,000?


ZonalFear

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @majatt: Yes, you're missing a zero.

60*10,000,000=600,000,000

Zunnoab

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> How are they going to make back 100 Million Dollars while continuing to promote the game?

$60*10,000,000 = $60,000,000 and they aren't making $60 profit on everygame sold.

I guess I'm missing something, perhaps someone could explain it to me?

majatt

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> But are they taking inflation into account?

TinyLightning

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Strangely enough Kojima generally workers with a relatively small team compared to how big his games are. Sure they take 3-4 years to make but it won't be anything near 100 mill for MGS4.

Funny thing about GTA IV, even if it cost $120 mill to make, it'll still make that back in the first week.

FoxHoundADAM

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @Siegeman: You're being a tad harsh on a rather ambitious game, that - for the most part - offers gamers a unique experience. Sounds like the game wasn't for you, but it certainly wasn't obnoxious.

pylon_trooper

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> So are those dollars adjusted for inflation? One huge problem with saying something is the "most costliest ever!" is the fact that a lot of the time inflation isn't actually taken into account.
Not like I'm trying to be a major bitch about it, but seriously, I have to be.

(I don't know what that last sentence even means.)


Channing

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @satek: "better management". I honestly believe there's a law of diminishing returns in effect here with games that's already been done with Hollywood. If you want to see where this kind of growth ends up, two words: CAL Trans :(

okenny :)

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Makes you wonder how the full version of Gran Turismo 5 is going to cost...

TheShape

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> I'll bet Duke Nukem Forever will be double if not triple that

SkutSkut

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Bah. That much money on Shenmue? Seriously, the entire game felt like filler. Right before I saw the credits roiling I thought I had just gotten through an obnoxiously long intro and would see some REAL gameplay.

Siegeman

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @satek: Yeah, it's the reason Majesco and THQ have greatly shifted their strategies, one to many flops costed them way too much money.

It is also the reason the Wii is getting certain games. Like, the developers of Monster Hunter, who are, you know, super super rich because MH sells millions and millions in Japan, will make MH3 for Wii. Because it's cheaper.

karasu is my homeboy

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> When I was doing contract work at Sony (modelling work with scan data) I was talking to one of the head cinematics guys and he told me that Lair cost an upward of $80,000,000.00 to make. At the very least, that would make it the most expensive "shitty controls" game of all time.

HarkMammil

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @littletad: I know teams do not consist of a thousand people, I'm a computer games programmer myself, currently not working in that area though, and am aware of how many people work on different games but this is a huge game and I'm betting over a thousand people have contributed to it that needed paying. Also the article actually states over a thousand people worked on it, so for all intensive purposes a thousand people were paid over the time.

Dannon

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @j.howlett: No, it must be a game, or I won't be satisfied! Game or nothin'!

Captain Impulse

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> i wish they'd finish this game for real. better yet put all 3 on a bluray with dreamcast graphics i can take it. i finished the first game so fast it was still winter in game. i think you had till the cherry blossom trees bloomed. three days well spent. now there is only anger. naybe a book or movie to finish it up would help

j.howlett

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> i dont think the cost of MGS4 will surpass that of GTA4. GTA4 has had way to much going on for it like their ad campaigns and viral marketing and song licensing that theres no way MGS4 would be able to be more expensive.

@Foxstar Sixtail: myabe it's because i love shenmue too much, but i refuse to believe that shenmue caused any sort of downfall for sega and seaman gets away scott free. I mean, if Shenmue was able to generate enough fans/interest to make a shenmue online, then they had to make some sort of revenue.

btw, im not even sure if shenmue online actually came out in china/korea/wherever it was supposed too.

ArmyofJuan

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Yu Suzuki has been pretty much locked in the shame closet at Sega Japan ever since Shenmue flopped. He's not made a game since 2006 (Psy-Phi), and it got cancelled. His last released game was Outrun 2 in 2003!

Sega really need to let Suzuki get on with Shenmue 3 and other games. I think the lack of Suzuki is why Sega just isn't the same anymore.

photoboy

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @Sabre_Justice: Okay, no more long name.:

Example comparable film/game:

Borne Ultimatum:
Budget: $110 Million
Gross Revenue (to date): $442,911,572 (Worldwide)

Halo 3:
Budget: Unknown
Gross Revenue (to date): $500,000,000+ (Worldwide)

I'd say the film industry has reason to be feeling a little sheepish about games nowadays.

Notes: Borne Ultimatum film figures taken from Wiki and Halo 3 figures taken from BBC News two days ago in a GTAVI News Special about this very topic. Halo 3 figures converted from £'s to $'s and rounded. My above comment on R* predicted GTAIV earnings were also in £'s.





Travezy

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Shenmue was an awesome game. Its a real shame it wasnt popular when it came out.

Dragoness_Muir

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> "$100 million huh? How much did the last round of blockbuster movies cost?"

Two to three times that. Even the lesser "event" films such as The Mummy III cost $175 million. Spider-Man 3 was 250 million. Pirates of the Caribbean 3 was 300 million.

Sloopydrew

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Shenmue... one of the best games ever made. I wonder what ever happened to this:

+ Watch video

Come on Sega! We want the next Shenmue! Soon!!

Snake9677

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> BIG Shenmue fan. Very ambitious project and I'm glad i got to experience it. As for GTAIV, its that kind of game that can justify the production costs coz they know it's gonna hit the 300-400mil'ish mark on returns easy, probably even more. From playing it so far (38 missions in and no failures) I can see why, very absorbing and immersive game. Grats to R* and their employees for a true 10/10 game.

Travezy

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> I wonder what the budget on Snake's moustache was...

Arnold Rimmer's Garden Strimmer

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Wow. Even older people who don't know much about video games say that there's a lot of money in the industry, and here's proof. $100 million huh? How much did the last round of blockbuster movies cost?

The games industry is seriously getting big.

Sabre_Justice: Okay, no more long name.

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @Foxstar Sixtail:

What were some of the reasons they gave for returning it? I wish I could find a store that let me return games just because I didn't like them. I've never had that happen (with one exception after LOTS of whining). It's odd to me that so many gamers embraced GTAIII a year or so after completely rejecting Shenmue -- which had a lot of gameplay similarities and was arguably a better game (I liked it better, at least). Maybe Sega should have put at least half the amount the game cost into marketing the actual game. I didn't see a single television commercial for the title. If not for reviews, I would have never even thought to pick it up.

Sloopydrew

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @TheTimeRanger: Don't, man. Just don't. It still hurts too much. Salt in the wound. :(

Captain Impulse

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @andrewmedina: I can actually give you a breakdown on some games. Ill have to go to the office for that.. But i fear if i do, Id never receive games from the publishers again :P

BTW... the developer share is just guessing :P

TheTimeRanger

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @andrewmedina:Yes. At my EB alone, we had like 40 copies returned.

Foxstar Sixtail

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> "I'm looking for a sailor"

250,000$ right there.

jeffx

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @duckmouth: Usually half price. Here in Norway atleast a game that would cost 599 NOK would be sold from EA for 320NOK. Sometimes less. Now, the developer would maybe get 150-200 for the game. I know this, because i see this everyday... Well everyweek :P

TheTimeRanger

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @duckmouth: i dunno, i'd like to see someone come out with a monetary break down of each copy sold for this generation.

andrewmedina

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @Foxstar Sixtail: people returned that game?

my friends and i fucking loved that game when it came out. i was (still am really) very tired of the orcs and dorks RPGS of the time and the Square Enix games of the time and thought that the 1980's martial arts epic was probably the best subject for an RPG of all time.

andrewmedina

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> So how much does a developer get from each $60 game sale? (In other words, how much do they sell them to retailers for?)

duckmouth

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> one day, we will play Shenmue III and it will be awesome!

TheTimeRanger

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @Sloopydrew:Shenmue was part of the bomb that ended it all. Gamers had a part to play in it as well, as many of the Sega 'elite' did not play Shenmue and those that did denounced it. I was working gaming retail for the first time back when Shenmue first game out and it had a huge return rate.

But Sega's bad habit though the mid to late 90's of pissing away money on stupid crap (15 million on a FMV studio anyone? Jan Coyle Lawsuit?) and the deadly trio (Sega CD, 32X, Saturn ) is what really spelled their doom. The lost shelf space because retailers were sick of their shit more then Sony and Nintendo shelling out for it.

Yes, Shenmue was way ahead of it's time and because of it, cost far more and realized less, but still yes it was a incredible game.

Foxstar Sixtail

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Don't forget to adjust for inflation.

wxdotz

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> The Shenmue saga's lack of closing is one of the greatest tragedies of the gaming industry. Number 2 still tops my list of favorite games, easily, and I was a late-comer to the series.

Captain Impulse

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Shenmue is also in the Guiness Book for "most awesome game ever developed".

Billkwando

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> sounds like a big mistake on segas part. spending all that money at that stage in there life, but i guess the dreamcast was everything or nothing.

so if gta4 is nearing 100 million where did halo 3 come in?

Victor-Ward

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @satek:

"Oh yeah, song licensing would be another large chunk. At least Rockstar will be able to make it all back easily being such a hugely successful franchise."

That Amazon deal won't hurt it, either. Although I'm about 6 hours into GTAIV and haven't seen any options to buy a song I like. Did they scrap that deal or am I just not looking the right place? In theory, they could probably give the game away for free and still make a profit with downloadable content and commission from the songs sold through the game. The question was is GTAIV the most expensive game ever made. That's debatable. On the other hand, I would be surprised if it doesn't end up being the most profitable. It took me four stores to find it and when I did (at Best Buy), there were small lines of people buying it before me and people in line with the game after me. This was at 1:30 in the afternoon on a weekday.

Sloopydrew

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> This generation's gamer is truly blessed, ya'll. GTA4 AND MGS4 in the same six month period? When has that ever happened before? Never. That's when. And come to think of it, when in the history of gaming have we received sequels/follow-ups for so many huge high profile franchises in the same year?

Just cast your eyes yonder to this impressive rollcall. New installments of Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, Gran Turismo, Soul Calibur, Silent Hill, Tomb Raider, Tekken, God of War (maybe), Final Fantasy (err, maybe not) and then the aforementioned Metal Gear Solid and Grand Theft Auto sequels all in one year. Never happened before. Never gonna happen again.

Dagnabbit, that right there has got to be some kind of golldarned record, I'd venture to guess.

cheeses

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Shenmue 3, Wii. Make it happen, SEGA.

Shiryu

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> I miiiiight've said MGS4 had a higher production cost, but advertising does cost a lot and MGS4 is no way where as main stream as GTAIV.

Zero_

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @Foxstar Sixtail:

EA gamers too content to stick with the familiar and too afraid to try something new are to blame for Shenmue's failure. They are what helped killed Sega. As well as Sega itself, releasing add-ons and consoles in rapid succession without giving anything a chance to really stick. Not to mention Sony and Nintendo ganging up and shelling out large amounts of cash for shelf space, which squeezed Sega into little nooks and crannies at electronic stores everywhere. I don't think Shenmue was that big a factor when you look at the overall picture. If it was? What a way to go. That was an incredible game.

Sloopydrew

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> I highly doubt that MGS4 will surpass GTAIV in terms of budget. GTAIV has behind it what will most likely be a record-breaking launch on many levels, and it's anticipated by more than just hardcore gamers and geeks like us, but by Madden fans, Bejeweled players, and everybody who pays attention to the news. Keeping that in mind, I'm sure the budget is nothing to scoff at.

Camzor

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @Sloopydrew: Oh yeah, song licensing would be another large chunk. At least Rockstar will be able to make it all back easily being such a hugely successful franchise. It's no wonder we are seeing less new IP's being developed.

satek

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> I don't think MGS4 cost as much as GTAIV. They didn't have to buy the rights to a couple hundred songs, they won't have as many voice actors, etc. I'm sure the game is in the top 5 highest budgeted games ever made -- probably 3rd after GTAIV and Shenmue. Shenmue was way ahead of its time and GTAIV has all those huge RIAA hoops to jump through. What games would fill the top 10 biggest budget games, anyway? For movies the top 10 is well known. Games? Not so much.

Sloopydrew

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> sorry that's $73,000 a year, then I was calculating it over a period of 5 years or so... just playing around to see how far that much money would go :D

satek

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Shenmue is one of the major reasons Sega had to throw the towel in on the Dreamcast and could be a study into "Why a major game developer/publisher goes broke within 10 years."

GTV costs more, but it will rake in it's production costs with ease, possibly by the end of the weekend. Shenmue although hugely epic had no chance to ever make back the money spent on it.

Pissing away 70 million on Shenmue (Which forever will remain a bundle of half-finished ideas never fully realized like Xenogears/Saga) is nothing for fans to be proud of. Shenmue helped kill Sega.

Foxstar Sixtail

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Ah, I completely forgot about marketing. I was just thinking about the supposed average game developer salary ($73,000) over a 5 year period, for one thousand people, then working out what other costs would be involved.

It still sounds like a colossal amount of money compared to what game development used to cost. So is this the price they pay for making next-gen games? No wonder so many studios are going bankrupt and closing down.

satek

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Was that budget of 70,000,000 just for Shemue, or does it include Shemue 2? It's weird, I was talking just the other day about how much Shemue cost and wondering if it was still the most expensive game made.

@littletad: I'm sure other studios, and free lance workers also were involved, could easily be a 1,000 people working on it.

Huatnee

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @littletad:

The actual design team was probably 200. What about everyone else from the radio stations, the website, voice acting and the marketing. That's a massive project to control.

juggy4805

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @Dannon: Teams do not consist of a thousand people, The Rockstar team that created GTA4 was supposedly 200.

littletad

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @satek: a lot of salaries.

"Over a thousand people worked on the game" <-- thats a lot of paychecks.

Lawyers, actors, programmers, artists and you can't forget specialized guys like the sound production crew that make things very expensive.

then you have licensing, marketing, production of the physical media and the like. Of course you can't forget the support crew that keep the day to day ops of the business going too.

A lot of it is just the cost of doing business and the cost of producing a AAA title in this day and age. Its an expensive thing to do now. I think it shows how much the medium has matured as a result though.

andrewmedina

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> But Shenmue is in the Top 3 of Best Games ever made too.^^

Schabrak

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @satek: The large majority of that will be the salaries of the people who work at the developer

Geckosan

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> @satek:
salaries,voice acting,marketing,production costs,etc


enewtabie

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> And Shenmue will still be the most memorable.

@satek: Developers, artist, voice-actors, programmers, designers and... well I'm sure someone will fill in the blank.

littletad

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Premises, hardware, wages for over a thousand people, advertising, etc, etc, it all adds up pretty quick, although I don't doubt that they've wasted some money along the way but when they're going to make more that a 400% - 500% return it's not too bad going

Dannon

]]> <![CDATA[The Most Expensive Game Budget Ever]]> Not to sound ignorant, but could someone explain just where these massive sums of money go when making games?

satek

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