Record-Breaking Call of Duty 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 terms of development budgets. Three titles—Black Ops 3, Modern Warfare (2019), and Black Ops Cold War—had budgets ranging from $450 million to a staggering $700 million. This surpasses previous records for the franchise and highlights the escalating costs within the AAA video game industry.
The sheer scale of these budgets underscores the immense resources required for modern game development. While indie games often thrive on smaller budgets secured through crowdfunding, the creation of blockbuster titles like Call of Duty demands years of work and substantial financial investment. While games like Red Dead Redemption 2, Cyberpunk 2077, and The Last of Us Part 2 are considered expensive, even their budgets pale in comparison to these Call of Duty figures.
According to a December 23rd California court filing, Activision's Patrick Kelly (head of creative for the Call of Duty franchise) revealed the cost breakdown. Black Ops Cold War, with its over $700 million budget, stands out. This surpasses even Star Citizen's substantial $644 million development cost, a remarkable achievement considering Black Ops Cold War was funded by a single entity, unlike Star Citizen's long-running crowdfunding campaign.
The trend of increasing development budgets is undeniable. Comparing the $40 million budget of Final Fantasy VII (1997), then considered massive, to today's AAA game costs illustrates the dramatic shift. Activision's recent disclosures serve as a clear indicator of this escalating financial landscape in the video game industry, leaving one to wonder just how much larger future Call of Duty installments, such as Black Ops 6, might cost.
