It’s one of the highest investments ever made in the development of a video game.
Those of us who have been enjoying the great works of video games for a long time know that there are titles where more money has been invested in their development. Although this did not mean that it would be better than other titles, it often made a big difference.
In 2010, PlayStation boasted its new God of War 3, which had cost $44m to make. Yesterday, Shuhei Yoshida, in an interview, confirmed the total cost of God of War: Ragnarok. And, to the surprise of many, the game cost just over $200m! Almost 5 times the total price of GoW 3.
One of the games with the highest initial investment in history
Shuhei Yoshida, for those who don’t know him, is the boss behind all the exclusive indies coming to PlayStation consoles. He is the one in charge of giving the go-ahead to big projects that finally make it to the stores. And since 1993, he is part of this company that has left us with so many joys.
After an interview yesterday, he shared a lot of data that clarifies the effort Sony makes to remain the top console company. But, there was one piece of information that really caught our attention and that is the big investments of money on top PlayStation franchises.
Yoshida mentioned the God of War franchise saying, “It’s one of PlayStation’s best franchises”. But, he dared to share a fact about God of War: Ragnarok that has stirred up the internet. This latest PlayStation Studios production had an investment of over $200 million! A barbaric amount that has placed it among the top 10 games with the highest investment in the industry.
But the most surprising thing of all is not its entry in the top 10. God of War: Ragnarok has cost almost 5 times more than God of War 3! A game that once drew attention for the large monetary investment it represented for PlayStation. However, Yoshida makes mention of this by comparing it to the low budgets of the Indies.
Budget isn’t everything
Many independent developers are achieving great games with budgets that do not even represent 5% of the cost of God of War: Ragnarok. A very curious fact that blows your mind if you look at it closely.
Knowing that games like The Binding of Isaac have managed to position themselves as the best games in history with budgets of less than $1 million. But, we have games like God of War: Ragnarok, GTA V, or Red Dead Redemption 2 that have managed to squeeze every penny out of their investment. Presenting final results that have marked the history of video games.
And this is what Yoshida highlights in the interview. “Getting games funded is tough, but even when you make an amazing game, there are so many out there in the market, great games that nobody knows,” he muses. “The good thing is, these days, there are really good high-quality indie publishers out there.”
There will come a time when there will be no difference between AAA games and indies. Not only in the final product but in the monetary investments. That is why, despite what PlayStation Studios has achieved with God of War: Ragnarok, budget is not everything.
