Call of Duty Reveals Massive Development Budgets

Record-Breaking Call of Duty Budgets: A Look at the Rising Costs of AAA Game Development

Recent disclosures reveal staggering development budgets for several Call of Duty titles, reaching unprecedented heights within the video game industry. Budgets for three specific games—ranging from $450 million to a jaw-dropping $700 million—have been revealed, with Black Ops Cold War leading the pack.

These figures represent the highest ever recorded for the Call of Duty franchise, significantly surpassing previous industry benchmarks. The sheer scale of these budgets underscores the increasingly expensive nature of AAA game development. While indie games often thrive on smaller budgets secured through crowdfunding, the AAA landscape operates on a vastly different scale. The costs of blockbuster titles have steadily escalated over the years, eclipsing even those of previously considered "expensive" games like Red Dead Redemption 2, Cyberpunk 2077, and The Last of Us Part 2.

According to a December 23rd California court filing, Activision's head of Call of Duty creative, Patrick Kelly, revealed the development costs. Black Ops Cold War, with its over $700 million budget, stands out. This massive investment, spanning several years, resulted in over 30 million copies sold. Modern Warfare (2019) follows closely, with a development cost exceeding $640 million and sales surpassing 41 million units. Even Black Ops 3, with the lowest budget among the three at $450 million, still dwarfs the $220 million spent on The Last of Us Part 2.

Black Ops Cold War's Budget Surpasses Even Star Citizen

The $700 million+ budget for Black Ops Cold War is a landmark figure, surpassing even the substantial $644 million development cost of Star Citizen. This is particularly noteworthy considering Black Ops Cold War's funding came from a single company, unlike Star Citizen's eleven-year crowdfunding campaign.

The Future of AAA Game Budgets

Considering the escalating trend, it's fascinating to speculate on the potential budgets for future installments, such as Black Ops 6. The contrast between current AAA budgets and those of earlier games is stark. For example, the groundbreaking Final Fantasy VII (1997), a technological marvel for its time, had a $40 million budget—a figure dwarfed by today's standards. Activision's recent revelations clearly demonstrate the ever-increasing costs of creating top-tier video games.