Fun to play, great entertainment – but how much does it all cost? GamesOfficial.com has compiled the top 5 most expensive video games.
In 1958, the US Department of Energy funded the first ‘modern video game’ Tennis for Two. Since then, video games have undergone enormous change with better story-telling, better graphics and better gameplay – all of which costs more money. A video game is great fun to play, but how how much does it cost? In this article, we take you through the 5 most expensive games ever made:
5. Max Payne 3 – $105 million
Developed by Rockstar Studios, Max Payne 3 was the third title in the Max Payne iteration. Max Payne 3 is a third-person shooter game in which players take on the role of Max Payne. To get through levels, players must defeat enemies and avoid taking damage. There are no load screens throughout the gameplay, just seamless transitions through interactive cut-scenes.
It originally released for the PS3 and Xbox 360 and later for PC. This game was Rockstar Games’ “biggest and boldest” marketed game so far, which led to 440,000 copies being sold within the first month in the United States.
4. Final Fantasy VII – $145 million
The seventh edition of Final Fantasy, published and developed by Square was launched in Japan in 1997 for the PlayStation and then later for PC. It was the first game of its series to have rendered models and made use of 3D graphics, giving a more realistic depiction of the characters.It was also the first edition to be released in Europe.
It became one of the fastest-selling games within two weeks of its release, selling more than 100,000 copies. The game development cost was $45 million and the marketing cost $100 million, making Final Fantasy VII the best-selling installment of the Final Fantasy series.
3. Star Wars: The Old Republic – $200 million
Developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts, Star Wars: The Old Republic was released in Europe and North America in 2011 for Microsoft Windows. The first trailer was shown at an Electronic Arts press conference in 2009, followed by a live public demo at Gamescom 2010. The game’s official website received one million subscribers within three days of its launch, making it the fastest growing multiple online game ever.
It took more than two years with 12 full time writers to complete the plot of the game. The game entered the Guinness Book of World Records in 2012 for the “Largest Entertainment Voice Over Project” with more than 200,000 lines of documented dialogue.
2. Grand Theft Auto V – $265 million
Being 2013’s most awaited game from Rockstar Games, Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5 )was launched in September 2013 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The game is the fifth edition of the immensely popular game set in a fictional state of San Andreas.
Development of the game started in 2009, under Rockstar North. The game is played from a third-person perspective; it progresses as the player completes missions with set objectives.
The depicted world in GTA 5 is bigger than the world in earlier games. On the first day of the release, it broke industry sales records by collecting $800 million in revenues, it reached 1 billion by the third day. It received an appraisal score of 96% for the Xbox 360 and 97% for the PlayStation 3 by GamesRankings, making it one the highest rated games on the website.
1. Destiny – $500 million
Launched on September 9, 2014, it was released for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. This game, developed by Bungie and published by Activision, has broken previous records held by GTA V, becoming the most expensive video game ever produced. It even beat the budget of the most expensive Hollywood movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, which had a budget of $300 million.
The game takes place 700 years in the future, with a period of hi-tech progression called the Golden Age. The game incorporates a new game engine that allows global illumination and real-time dynamic lighting to occur together. Activision claimed that Destiny was the most successful new gaming franchise launch of all time, as it shipped more than $500 million to retail stores and first-parties worldwide.
