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Most expensive video games

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The following are lists of the most expensive video games. There are separate lists for development, licensing, marketing and manufacturing costs, as well as a timeline of budget records for each category.

List of highest budgets[]

Development[]

Title Platform(s) Year Cost Ref
Nominal Inflation
Genshin Impact Multi-platform 2020 $750,000,000 $880,000,000 [1][2]
Star Citizen PC ? $275,000,000 $275,000,000 [3]
Star Wars: The Old Republic PC 2011 $190,000,000 $260,000,000 [4]
Grand Theft Auto V PS3, 360 2013 $137,500,000 $180,000,000 [5][6]
Grand Theft Auto IV PS3, 360 2008 $100,000,000 $140,000,000 [7]
Halo 4 360 2012 $100,000,000 $130,000,000 [8]
Tomb Raider PS3, 360, PC 2013 $100,000,000 $130,000,000 [9]
Shenmue DC 1999 $70,000,000 $130,000,000 [10]
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim PC, PS3, PS4, 360, XB1 2011 $85,000,000 $120,000,000 [11]
Gran Turismo 5 PS3 2010 $80,000,000 $110,000,000 [12][7]
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots PS3 2008 $70,000,000 $100,000,000 [13]
Final Fantasy XIII PS3, 360 2009 $65,000,000 $92,000,000 [14]
Crysis 3 PC, PS3, 360 2012 $66,000,000 $88,000,000 [15]
Too Human 360 2008 $60,000,000 $85,000,000 [7]
Killzone 2 PS3 2009 $60,000,000 $85,000,000 [16]
Final Fantasy VII PS1 1997 $45,000,000 $85,000,000 [17]
Final Fantasy XII PS2 2006 $53,000,000 $80,000,000 [18]
Huxley PC 2007 $50,000,000 $73,000,000 [19]
Final Fantasy XVI PS5 2023 $70,000,000 $70,000,000 [20]
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 PC, PS3, 360 2009 $50,000,000 $71,000,000 [21]
Final Fantasy IX PS1 2000 $40,000,000 $71,000,000 [22]
APB: All Points Bulletin PC 2010 $50,000,000 $70,000,000 [23]
Final Fantasy X PS2 2001 $40,000,000 $69,000,000 [24]
Half-Life 2 PC 2004 $40,000,000 $65,000,000 [25]
TERA Online PC  2011 $50,000,000 $68,000,000 [26]
Tom Clancy's The Division PS4, XB1, PC 2014 $50,000,000 $64,000,000 [27][28]
Final Fantasy VIII PS1 1999 $30,000,000 $55,000,000 [29]
Daikatana PC 2000 $30,000,000 $53,000,000 [30]
Enter the Matrix Multi-platform 2003 $30,000,000 $50,000,000 [31]
Final Fantasy XI PS2, PC 2002 $26,300,000 $45,000,000 [32]
Stranglehold Multi-platform 2007 $30,000,000 $44,000,000 [33]
Halo 3 360 2007 $30,000,000 $44,000,000
Pokémon Go Mobile 2016 $30,000,000 $38,000,000 [34]
Super Mario 64 N64 1996 $20,000,000 $39,000,000 [35]
Assassin's Creed 2 Multi-platform 2009 $24,000,000 $34,000,000 [36]
Brutal Legend PS3, 360 2009 $24,000,000 $34,000,000 [37]
Yakuza PS2 2005 $21,000,000 $33,000,000
Crysis PC 2007 $22,000,000 $32,000,000 [38]
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition 360, PS3 2006 $20,000,000 $30,000,000 [39]
Assassin's Creed Multi-platform 2007 $20,000,000 $29,000,000 [36]
Crackdown 360 2007 $20,000,000 $29,000,000 [40]
The Legend of Dragoon PS1 1999 $16,000,000 $29,000,000 [41]
Forgotten Worlds Arcade 1988 $10,000,000 $26,000,000 [42]
Ghostbusters: The Video Game Multi-platform 2009 $17,500,000 $25,000,000 [43]
The Lion King Multi-platform 1994 $12,000,000 $25,000,000 [44]
Quake 4 PC, 360 2005 $15,000,000 $23,000,000 [45]
Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom PC 1996 $12,000,000 $23,000,000 [46][47]
Red Steel Wii 2006 $12,750,000 $19,000,000 [48]
Psychonauts Multi-platform 2005 $12,000,000 $19,000,000 [49]
Riven: The Sequel to Myst Computers 1997 $10,000,000 $19,000,000 [50]
Half-Life 2: Episode One PC 2006 $12,000,000 $18,000,000 [51]
Half-Life 2: Episode Two PC 2007 $12,000,000 $18,000,000
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty PS2 2001 $10,000,000 $17,000,000 [52]
Silent Hill 2 PS2 2001 $10,000,000 $17,000,000 [53]
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas PS2 2004 $10,000,000 $16,000,000 [54]
Gears of War 360 2006 $10,000,000 $15,000,000 [55]
Devil May Cry PS2 2001 $8,500,000 $15,000,000 [56]
Onimusha PS2 2001 $8,500,000 $15,000,000
Street Fighter III Arcade 1997 $8,000,000 $15,000,000 [57]
Far East of Eden II: Manji Maru PCE 1992 $5,000,000 $11,000,000 [58]
Aladdin Mega Drive 1993 $5,000,000 $11,000,000 [44][59]
The Last Express Computers 1997 $5,000,000 $9,000,000 [60]
Silent Hill PS1 1999 $5,000,000 $9,000,000 [53]
Phantasmagoria PC 1995 $4,500,000 $9,000,000 [61][62]
Dragon's Lair Arcade 1983 $3,000,000 $9,000,000 [63]
Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger Computers 1994 $4,000,000 $8,000,000 [46]
Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp Multi-platform 1990 $2,300,000 $5,000,000 [64]
Sewer Shark SCD, 3DO 1992 $3,000,000 $7,000,000 [65]
A Way Out Multi-platform 2018 $5,200,000 $6,000,000 [66]
Under a Killing Moon Computers 1994 $3,000,000 $6,000,000 [61]
Grim Fandango PC 1998 $3,000,000 $6,000,000 [49]
Space Ace Arcade 1983 $1,800,000 $6,000,000 [64]
Street Fighter II Arcade 1991 $2,450,000 $5,000,000 [67]
Time Traveler Arcade 1991 $2,000,000 $4,000,000 [68]
Virtua Fighter 2 Arcade 1994 $2,000,000 $4,000,000 [69]
Super Mario Bros. NES 1985 $1,300,000 $4,000,000 [70]
The Legend of Zelda FDS, NES 1986 $1,300,000 $4,000,000
Super Mario Bros. 2 / Doki Doki Panic NES 1986 $1,300,000 $4,000,000
Slither Arcade 1982 $1,300,000 $4,000,000 [71]
Night Trap Sega CD 1992 $1,500,000 $3,000,000 [72][73]
Super Mario Bros. 3 NES 1988 $1,300,000 $3,000,000 [70]
Super Mario World SNES 1990 $1,300,000 $3,000,000
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past SNES 1991 $1,300,000 $3,000,000
Ultima VII: The Black Gate PC 1992 $1,000,000 $2,000,000 [74]
Myst Mac 1993 $1,000,000 $2,000,000 [50]
Donkey Kong Country SNES 1994 $1,000,000 $2,000,000 [8]
Santa Fe Mysteries: The Elk Moon Murder Computers 1996 $1,000,000 $2,000,000 [61]
Santa Fe Mysteries: Sacred Ground Computers 1997 $1,000,000 $2,000,000
Resident Evil 2 PS1 1998 $1,000,000 $2,000,000 [75]
Penny Arcade Adventures: Episode 1 Multi-platform 2008 $1,000,000 $1,000,000 [76]
MindRover PC 2000 $500,000 $1,000,000 [77]
Cobra Command Arcade 1984 $400,000 $1,000,000 [78]
Sam & Max: Episode 1 PC 2006 $400,000 $1,000,000 [79]
Donkey Kong Arcade 1981 $267,000 $1,000,000 [70]

Licensing[]

Title Platform(s) Year Cost Ref
Nominal Inflation
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 2600 1982 $21,000,000 $66,000,000 [80]
Donkey Kong Consoles 1982 $5,000,000 $16,000,000 [81]
Popeye Consoles 1982 $2,000,000 $6,000,000 [80]
Pong Arcade 1972 $700,000 $5,000,000 [82]
NBA Jam Arcade 1993 $2,000,000 $4,000,000 [83]
Pac-Man 2600 1982 $1,000,000 $3,000,000 [84]

Marketing[]

Title Platform(s) Year Cost Ref
Nominal Inflation
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 PC, PS3, 360 2009 $150,000,000 $210,000,000 [21]
Final Fantasy VII PS1 1997 $100,000,000 $190,000,000 [17]
Grand Theft Auto V PS3, 360 2013 $120,000,000 $160,000,000 [5][6]
Grand Theft Auto IV PS3, 360 2008 $100,000,000 $140,000,000 [7]
Tomb Raider PS3, 360, PC 2013 $100,000,000 $130,000,000 [85]
Genshin Impact Multi-platform 2020 $100,000,000 $120,000,000 [1][2]
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim PC, PS3, PS4, 360, XB1 2011 $85,000,000 $120,000,000 [86]
Pokémon Red/Green/Blue GB, GBC 1996 $50,000,000 $100,000,000 [87]
Sonic & Knuckles MD 1994 $45,000,000 $93,000,000 [88]
Crysis 3 PC, PS3, 360 2012 $66,000,000 $88,000,000 [15]
Too Human 360 2008 $60,000,000 $85,000,000 [7]
Killzone 2 PS3 2009 $60,000,000 $85,000,000 [16]
Street Fighter II Arcade, SNES, MD 1991 $31,000,000 $69,000,000
APB: All Points Bulletin PC 2010 $50,000,000 $70,000,000 [89]
Super Mario Bros. 3 NES 1988 $25,000,000 $64,000,000 [90]
Tom Clancy's The Division PS4, XB1, PC 2014 $50,000,000 $64,000,000 [27][28]
Wii Fit Wii 2007 $40,000,000 $59,000,000 [91]
Halo 3 360 2007 $40,000,000 $59,000,000 [92]
Game of War: Fire Age Mobile 2014 $40,000,000 $51,000,000 [93]
Shenmue DC 1999 $23,000,000 $42,000,000 [10]
Super Mario 64 N64 1996 $20,000,000 $39,000,000 [94]
Diddy Kong Racing N64 1997 $20,000,000 $38,000,000 [95]
Donkey Kong Country SNES 1994 $16,000,000 $33,000,000 [88]
Star Fox SNES 1993 $15,000,000 $32,000,000 [96]
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition 360, PS3 2006 $20,000,000 $30,000,000 [97]
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 MD 1992 $10,000,000 $22,000,000 [98]
Mortal Kombat MD, SNES, GB, GG 1993 $10,000,000 $21,000,000 [99]
Mortal Kombat II Consoles 1994 $10,000,000 $21,000,000 [100]
NBA Jam Consoles 1994 $10,000,000 $21,000,000 [101]
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Multi-platform 2011 $15,000,000 $20,000,000 [11]
NiGHTS into Dreams Saturn 1996 $10,000,000 $19,000,000 [102]
Frogger 2600 1982 $6,000,000 $19,000,000 [103]
Radar Scope Arcade 1980 $5,000,000 $18,000,000 [104]
Left 4 Dead 360, PC 2008 $10,000,000 $14,000,000 [105]
The Lion King Multi-platform 1994 $8,000,000 $16,000,000 [44]
Mario Kart 64 N64 1996 $7,000,000 $14,000,000 [95]
The Legend of Zelda NES 1986 $5,000,000 $14,000,000 [106]
Star Fox 64 N64 1997 $7,000,000 $13,000,000 [95]
Tengai Makyō II: Manjimaru PCE 1992 $5,000,000 $11,000,000 [107]
Resident Evil 2 PS1 1998 $5,000,000 $9,000,000 [75]
Aladdin Mega Drive 1993 $4,000,000 $8,000,000 [59][44]
The Legend of Xanadu PCE 1994 $3,000,000 $6,000,000 [108]
Donkey Kong Arcade 1981 $1,000,000 $3,000,000 [109]
Zaxxon Arcade 1981 $1,000,000 $3,000,000 [110]

Manufacturing[]

Title Platform(s) Year Cost Ref
Nominal Inflation
Space Invaders Arcade 1978 $260,000,000 $1,100,000,000 [111][112]
Pac-Man Arcade 1980 $260,000,000 $1,000,000,000 [111][113]
Street Fighter II Arcade, SNES, MD 1991 $380,000,000 $850,000,000 [114][115]
Super Mario World SNES 1990 $300,000,000 $700,000,000 [116]
Super Mario Bros. NES 1985 $240,000,000 $680,000,000 [117]
Sonic the Hedgehog MD 1991 $220,000,000 $490,000,000 [118]
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time N64 1998 $190,000,000 $360,000,000 [119]
Super Mario 64 N64 1996 $170,000,000 $330,000,000 [120]
Super Mario Bros. 3 NES 1988 $100,000,000 $260,000,000 [121]
Super Mario Kart SNES 1992 $120,000,000 $260,000,000 [122]
Mario Kart 64 N64 1996 $130,000,000 $250,000,000 [123]
Final Fantasy VII PS1 1997 $120,000,000 $230,000,000 [124]
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 MD 1992 $90,000,000 $200,000,000 [125]
Pac-Man 2600 1982 $54,000,000 $170,000,000 [126][127]
Super Mario Bros. 2 NES 1987 $60,000,000 $160,000,000 [128]
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past SNES 1991 $70,000,000 $160,000,000 [129]
The Legend of Zelda NES 1986 $52,000,000 $140,000,000 [130]
Star Fox SNES 1993 $60,000,000 $130,000,000 [131][132]
Sonic 3 & Knuckles MD 1994 $60,000,000 $120,000,000 [133]
Final Fantasy VIII PS1 1999 $66,000,000 $120,000,000 [134]
Virtua Fighter 2 Arcade 1994 $60,000,000 $120,000,000 [135][136][137]
Final Fantasy VI SNES 1994 $52,000,000 $110,000,000 [138]
Dragon Quest VI SNES 1995 $48,000,000 $100,000,000 [139]
Pokémon Red/Green/Blue GBC 1996 $48,000,000 $93,000,000 [140]
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link NES 1987 $35,000,000 $94,000,000 [141]
Dragon Quest V SNES 1992 $42,000,000 $91,000,000 [142]
Aladdin MD 1993 $40,000,000 $84,000,000 [143]
Chrono Trigger SNES 1995 $41,000,000 $82,000,000 [144]
Mortal Kombat II SNES, MD 1994 $40,000,000 $82,000,000 [145]
Final Fantasy V SNES, PS1 1992 $38,000,000 $83,000,000 [146]
Dragon Quest III NES 1988 $32,000,000 $82,000,000 [147]
Beatmania Arcade 1997 $38,000,000 $72,000,000 [148]
Dance Dance Revolution Arcade 1998 $38,000,000 $71,000,000 [149][148]
APB: All Points Bulletin PC 2010 $50,000,000 $70,000,000 [150]
Final Fantasy IV SNES, PS1, GBA 1991 $31,000,000 $69,000,000 [151]
Dragon Quest IV NES, PS1 1990 $29,000,000 $68,000,000 [152]
Frogger 2600 1982 $18,000,000 $57,000,000 [153][154]
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 2600 1982 $18,000,000 $57,000,000 [155][156]
Mortal Kombat MD, SNES, GB, GG 1993 $21,000,000 $44,000,000 [157][158]
Missile Command Arcade 1980 $12,000,000 $44,000,000 [111]
Shenmue DC 1999 $24,000,000 $44,000,000 [159]
Final Fantasy IX PS1 2000 $22,000,000 $39,000,000 [160][161]
Final Fantasy X PS2 2001 $14,000,000 $24,000,000 [162]
Gran Turismo 5 PS3 2010 $13,000,000 $18,000,000 [163]
Wii Fit Wii 2007 $12,000,000 $18,000,000 [164][165]
Gun Fight Arcade 1975 $3,000,000 $17,000,000 [166]
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots PS3 2008 $11,000,000 $16,000,000 [167][168]
Final Fantasy XIII PS3, 360 2009 $9,600,000 $14,000,000 [169]
Journey Escape 2600 1983 $4,500,000 $14,000,000 [170]
Special Criminal Investigation Arcade 1989 $5,000,000 $12,000,000 [171]

Timeline of budget records[]

Development[]

Timeline of development budget milestones
Title Year Developer Platform Cost Ref
Nominal Inflation
Computer Space 1971 Syzygy Arcade $50,000 $400,000 [172]
Galaxy Game 1971 Stanford Arcade $65,000 $500,000
Space Invaders 1978 Taito Arcade $70,000 $300,000 [173]
Galaxian 1979 Namco Arcade $100,000 $400,000 [174]
Pac-Man 1980 Namco Arcade $100,000 $400,000 [175]
Super Galaxian 1981 Epoch Handheld $100,000 $300,000 [174]
Gakken Baseball 1981 Gakken Handheld $140,000 $500,000 [174]
Donkey Kong 1981 Nintendo R&D1 Arcade $267,000 $1,000,000 [70]
Slither 1982 Century II / GDI Arcade $1,300,000 $4,000,000 [71]
Dragon's Lair 1983 AMS Arcade $3,000,000 $9,000,000 [63]
Forgotten Worlds 1988 Capcom Arcade $10,000,000 $26,000,000 [42]
The Lion King 1994 Westwood Multi-platform $12,000,000 $25,000,000 [44]
Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom 1996 Origin Systems PC $12,000,000 $23,000,000 [46][47]
Super Mario 64 1996 Nintendo EAD N64 $20,000,000 $39,000,000 [35]
Final Fantasy VII 1997 Squaresoft PlayStation $45,000,000 $85,000,000 [176]
Shenmue 1999 Sega AM2 Dreamcast $70,000,000 $130,000,000 [10]
Grand Theft Auto IV 2008 Rockstar North PS3, X360, PC $100,000,000 $140,000,000 [177]
Star Wars: The Old Republic 2011 BioWare PC $190,000,000 $260,000,000 [4]
Star Citizen ? Cloud Imperium PC $275,000,000 $275,000,000 [3]
Genshin Impact 2020 miHoYo Multi-platform $750,000,000 $880,000,000 [1][2]

Licensing[]

Timeline of licensing budget milestones
Title Year Developer Publisher Platform Cost Ref
Nominal Inflation
Pong 1972 Atari Atari Arcade $700,000 $5,000,000 [82]
Pac-Man 1982 Namco Atari Atari VCS $1,000,000 $3,000,000 [84]
Popeye 1982 Nintendo R&D1 Parker Brothers Consoles $2,000,000 $6,000,000 [80]
Donkey Kong 1982 Nintendo R&D1 Coleco Consoles $5,000,000 $16,000,000 [81]
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 1982 Atari Atari 2600 $21,000,000 $66,000,000 [80]

Marketing[]

Timeline of marketing budget milestones
Title Year Developer Publisher Platform Cost Ref
Nominal Inflation
Donkey Kong 1981 Nintendo R&D1 Nintendo Arcade $1,000,000 $3,000,000 [109]
Zaxxon 1981 Sega Sega Arcade $1,000,000 $3,000,000 [110]
Pac-Man 1982 Namco Atari Atari 2600 $1,500,000 $5,000,000 [178]
Frogger 1982 Konami Parker Brothers Atari 2600 $10,000,000 $32,000,000 [80]
The Empire Strikes Back 1982 Parker Brothers
Super Mario Bros. 3 1988 Nintendo EAD Nintendo NES $25,000,000 $64,000,000 [179]
Sonic & Knuckles 1994 Sega Sega Mega Drive $45,000,000 $93,000,000 [88]
Pokémon Red/Green/Blue 1996 Nintendo Nintendo GB, GBC $50,000,000 $97,000,000 [87]
Final Fantasy VII 1997 Squaresoft Squaresoft, Sony PlayStation $100,000,000 $190,000,000 [180]
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 2009 Infinity Ward Activision PC, PS3, 360 $150,000,000 $210,000,000 [21]

Manufacturing[]

Timeline of manufacturing cost milestones
Title Year Developer Manufacturer Platform(s) Cost (est.) Ref
Nominal Inflation
Gun Fight 1975 Taito Midway Arcade $3,000,000 $17,000,000 [166]
Space Invaders 1978 Taito Taito Arcade $260,000,000 $1,100,000,000 [111][112]
Pac-Man 1980 Namco Namco Arcade $260,000,000 $1,000,000,000 [111][113]
Super Mario World 1990 Nintendo Nintendo SNES $300,000,000 $700,000,000 [116]
Street Fighter II 1991 Capcom Capcom ARC, SNES, MD $380,000,000 $850,000,000 [114][115]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Carpenter, Nicole (February 6, 2024). "Genshin Impact hackers sued in Canadian court". Polygon. Retrieved February 7, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Genshin Lawsuit via Polygon". Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Cloud Imperium Financials for 2019". cloudimperiumgames.com. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 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.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Sinclair, Brendan (1 Feb 2013). "GTA V dev costs over $137 million, says analyst". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Grand Theft Auto V:
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Top 10 Most Expensive Video Games Ever Made
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 http://www.lazygamer.net/xbox/xbox-360/halo-4-is-the-most-expensive-game-that-microsoft-has-ever-produced/
  9. ↑ http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2013-03-27-single-player-ip-will-cause-problems-for-square-enix
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 [1] [2] [3]
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 https://www.thegamer.com/skyrim-making-of-crazy-details-did-not-know/
  12. ↑ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gran-turismo-5-sporting-60-million-budget/1100-6239328/
  13. ↑ "10 Most Expensive Video Game Budgets Ever". knowyourmoney.co.uk. Notice Media Limited. 21 August 2008. Archived from the original on 6 November 2013. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
  14. ↑ https://www.destructoid.com/final-fantasy-xiii-cost-65m-mario-kart-wii-made-bank/
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 [4] [5]
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 [6] [7] [8]
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 [9] [10] [11]
  18. ↑ http://www.videogames.com.au/general/top-10-expensive-video-game-budgets-2/
  19. ↑ http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Tim-Schafer-Compares-Past-Video-Game-Budgets-Current-Budgets-39474.html
  20. ↑ https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/economy/20230106-OYT1T50123/
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 [12] [13]
  22. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20080828135353/squarehaven.com/news/2000/07/29/NTV-Tokyo-Interviews-Hironobu-Sakaguchi/
  23. ↑ http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/28/montgomery-co-raises-50-million-for-realtime-worlds/
  24. ↑ Development: ¥4 billion = $40 million 
  25. ↑ "Half-Life 2: $40 million in, still Steaming forward". Eurogamer. March 22, 2004. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  26. ↑ http://www.sooperarticles.com/art-entertainment-articles/tera-online-gaming-worlds-most-expensive-76974.html
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 [14]
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 [15]
  29. ↑ Wessel, Craig (2000). A Parent's Guide to PlayStation Games. Mars Publishing. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-9675127-5-4. The most recent release in the series, Final Fantasy VIII, is also one of the most lavish productions in video game history, reportedly costing over $30 million to make.
  30. ↑ Vaggabond (May 27, 2000). "The Story of Daikatana". Eurogamer. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  31. ↑ http://www.studiohem.com/richardhemery/essay-convergenceofvideogamesandcinema.htm
  32. ↑ IGN Staff (May 10, 2002). "Final Fantasy XI—Big Plans, Big Money". IGN. Retrieved August 15, 2006.
  33. ↑ http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/midway-investing-30-million-in-stranglehold
  34. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20151019022349/siliconangle.com/blog/2015/10/15/pokemon-go-dev-niantic-nabs-up-to-30-million-in-funding-from-google-nintendo-and-pokemon/
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 Bethke, Erik (2003). Game Development and Production. Wordware Publishing, Inc. p. 46. ISBN 978-1-55622-951-0. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20091207072608/forums.qj.net/xbox-360/151759-assassins-creed-2-budget-bigger-than-originals.html
  37. ↑ Postmortem: Double Fine's Brutal Legend
  38. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20080820180505/pc.ign.com/articles/899/899976p1.html
  39. ↑ http://members.forbes.com/global/2007/0212/022.html
  40. ↑ http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/i-d-struggle-to-make-a-game-for-less-than-50-million-says-jones
  41. ↑ Ashcraft, Brian (2013-11-04). "How Sony's Hometown Studio Rose From the Ashes In Time for the PS4". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 2013-11-07. Retrieved 2018-06-27.
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 "Capcom: A Captive Audience". The Games Machine. No. 19. United Kingdom: Newsfield (published 18 May 1989). June 1989. pp. 24–5.
  43. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20090723233212/www.edge-online.com/news/ghostbusters-budget-was-15-20-million
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 44.2 44.3 44.4 "Lion King video will take bite out of firm's capital". The Spokesman-Review. 28 June 1994. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  45. ↑ Conklin, Aaron (September 16, 2005). "Soaring into year 15 Middleton-Based Raven Software is set two release two A-list Video Games in the coming weeks". Wisconsin State Journal. Archived from the original on May 22, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
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  113. ↑ 114.0 114.1 Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, costs: $186 million
  114. ↑ 115.0 115.1 Street Fighter II', manufacturing costs: $227 million
    • Street Fighter II': Champion Edition - 140,000 arcade cabinets manufactured at $1000 each = $140 million
    • Street Fighter II' Turbo: Hyper Fighting - 4.1 million SNES cartridges at $15 each = $62 million
    • Street Fighter II': Special Champion Edition - 1.65 million Mega Drive cartridges at $15 each = $25 million
  115. ↑ 116.0 116.1 20.6 million cartridges [16] [17] at $15 each = $309 million manufacturing
  116. ↑ 40.23 million cartridges at $6 each
  117. ↑ 15 million cartridges at $15 each = $225 million manufacturing
  118. ↑ 7.6 million cartridges at $25 each = $190 million
  119. ↑ 11.62 million cartridges at $15 each = $175 million manufacturing
  120. ↑ 18 million cartridges at $6 each
  121. ↑ 8 million SNES cartridges [18] at $15 each = $120 million
  122. ↑ 9 million cartridges at $15 each
  123. ↑ 10 million units [19] at $10 per package = $120 million manufacturing
  124. ↑ 6 million cartridges at $15 each = $90 million manufacturing
  125. ↑ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6K8lAAAAIBAJ&sjid=H_QFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1848,2535505
  126. ↑ 12 million cartridges at $4.50 each = $72 million
  127. ↑ 10 million cartridges at $6 each
  128. ↑ 4.61 million SNES cartridges at $15 each = $70 million
  129. ↑ 6.51 million cartridges at $8 each
  130. ↑ http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=RM&p_theme=rm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB4DC448181E3B9&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
  131. ↑ 4 million cartridges at $15 each = $60 million
  132. ↑ 4 million cartridges at $15 each = $60 million
  133. ↑ 8.15 million units (4 CD-ROM discs each) at $8 ($2 per disc) each
  134. ↑ http://shmuplations.com/akiranagai/
  135. ↑ https://segaretro.org/Press_release:_1996-09-03:_Virtua_Fighter_Kids:_New_Sega_Saturn_game_is_way_%22a-head%22_of_its_time
  136. ↑ http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ny0vvUpBzCYC&pg=PA156
  137. ↑ 3.41 million units (2.55 million in Japan and 860,000 overseas]) at $15 per cartridge = $52 million
  138. ↑ 3.2 million cartridges [20] [21] at $15 each = $48 million
  139. ↑ 31.37 million units [22] at $1.50 per cartridge = $48 million
  140. ↑ 4.38 million catridges at $8 each
  141. ↑ 2.8 million cartridges [23] [24] at $15 each = $42 million
  142. ↑ 4 million MD/GEN cartridges [25] at $10 each
  143. ↑ 2.7 million units at $15 per cartridge = $41 million
  144. ↑ Mortal Kombat II: [26]
    • MD/GEN: 1.78 million cartridges at $10 each = $17.8 million
    • SNES: 1.51 million cartridges at $15 each = $22.6 million
  145. ↑ Final Fantasy V manufacturing costs:
    • SNES: 2.45 million cartridges at $15 each = $37 million
    • PS1: 170,000 CD-ROM discs at $2 each = $340,000
  146. ↑ 3.9 million cartridges (3.8 million in Japan and 95,000 in the US) at $8 each
  147. ↑ 148.0 148.1 25,000 arcade machines manufactured at $1500 each = $38 million
  148. ↑ Outsold Beatmania
  149. ↑ http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/28/montgomery-co-raises-50-million-for-realtime-worlds/
  150. ↑ Final Fantasy IV manufacturing costs:
    • SNES: 1.89 million cartridges (1.44 million in Japan and 450,000 overseas]) at $15 each = $29 million
    • PS1: 380,000 CD-ROM discs at $2 each = $760,000
    • GBA: Assuming GBC manufacturing cost of $1.50 per cartridge, 610,000 cartridges at $1.50 each = $920,000
  151. ↑ Dragon Quest IV:
    • NES: 3.2 million cartridges (3.1 million in Japan and 80,000 in the US) at $8 each = $26 million
    • PS1: 1.2 million CD-ROM discs at $2 each = $2.4 million
  152. ↑ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jnhcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=a1cNAAAAIBAJ&pg=4201,2482231
  153. ↑ 3 million cartridges at $6 each
  154. ↑ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jnhcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=a1cNAAAAIBAJ&pg=4201,2482231
  155. ↑ 4 million cartridges at $4.50 each = $18 million manufacturing
  156. ↑ http://www.mannmuseum.com/the-high-tech-threat-to-our-younger-generation/
  157. ↑ 3 million cartridges sold for 4 consoles (MD, SNES, Game Boy, Game Gear), assuming average manufacturing cost of $7 per cartridge ($15 SNES, $10 MD, $1.50 GB, $1.50 GG) = $21 million
  158. ↑ Assuming PS1 CD-ROM cost of $5 per disc for Dreamcast GD-ROM, 1.2 million units [27] at $20 ($5 per disc) each = $24 million
  159. ↑ http://squarehaven.com/news/2000/07/29/NTV-Tokyo-Interviews-Hironobu-Sakaguchi/
  160. ↑ Final Fantasy IX manufacturing cost: 5.3 million (4 CD-ROM) units [28] at $4 each ($1 per CD) = $22 million
  161. ↑ Final Fantasy X manufacturing cost: 6.6 million DVD discs [29] at $2 each
  162. ↑ 10.66 million units [30] at $1.20 per Blu-Ray = $13 million
  163. ↑ http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=18096
  164. ↑ 22.67 million DVD discs at $0.50 each = $12 million
  165. ↑ 166.0 166.1 Lendino, Jamie (2020-09-27). Attract Mode: The Rise and Fall of Coin-Op Arcade Games. Steel Gear Press. p. 49.
  166. ↑ http://www.videogames.com.au/general/top-10-expensive-video-game-budgets-2/
  167. ↑ 5.67 million units [31] at $1.80 per BD-ROM disc = $11 million
  168. ↑ Final Fantasy XIII manufacturing costs:
    • PS3: 4.84 million BD-ROM discs [32] at $1.20 each = $5.9 million
    • 360: 1.76 million DVD-ROM discs [33] at $2.10 ($0.70 per disc) each = $3.7 million
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  170. ↑ Meades, Alan (25 October 2022). Arcade Britannia: A Social History of the British Amusement Arcade. MIT Press. p. 201. ISBN 978-0-262-37235-0. Retrieved 5 August 2023. In October 1989, Electrocoin was commissioned a £3-million order from Taito Europe to build 1,500 Special Criminal Investigation driving games
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  172. ↑ https://shmuplations.com/spaceinvaders/
  173. ↑ 174.0 174.1 174.2 "昔(1970年代）のテレビゲームは何台売れた？ (How many old (1970s) video games sold?)". Classic Videogame Station Odyssey (CVS Odyssey) (in Japanese). 2014-01-09. Archived from the original on 2014-01-09. Retrieved 16 April 2021. {{cite web}}: More than one of |archivedate= and |archive-date= specified (help); More than one of |archiveurl= and |archive-url= specified (help)
  174. ↑ https://arstechnica.com/features/2005/11/crossplatform/2/
  175. ↑ "Essential 50: Final Fantasy VII". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  176. ↑ Androvitch, Mark (April 30, 2008). "GTA IV: Most expensive game ever developed?". Games Industry International.
  177. ↑ Corderi, Victoria (March 30, 1982). "Local Video-game Freaks Gobble Up Home Pac-Man". The Miami News. Retrieved 5 January 2020. According to Hoff, Atari started "whetting the public's appetite" for the game by running print ads after Christmas that announced that Pac-Man "would soon be ready for home consumption." On April 3, the company will step up its $1.5 million publicity campaign by starting television and radio advertising.
  178. ↑ "Nintendo fuels "Mario Mania" with "Super Mario Bros. 3"". The Indianapolis Star. April 9, 1990. p. 22. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  179. ↑ Stanton, Rich (June 2, 2013). "Final Fantasy 7 retrospective". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved March 20, 2014.

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