By Andrew Dodson on September 8, 2013 at 3:59pm
Rockstar is known for making big games. Not just games that everyone gets excited about, but games that are actually huge. When you drive through Liberty City in "Grand Theft Auto IV," it feels like you're actually driving through a real, functional city. In "Red Dead Redemption," riding through the desert or midwest forests in the game feels like a real, lengthy ordeal. Rockstar does not like little sandboxes.
"Grand Theft Auto V" releases September 17th on Playstation 3 and X-Box 360 and is one of the most anticipated game of 2013. Already Rockstar has claimed that "GTA V" is going to be bigger than "GTA IV," "GTA: San Andreas" and "Red Dead Redemption" combined. They're truly working at making the best open-world game ever. So how much does something like that cost?
According to the Scotsman, between development and marketing, Rockstar has pumped approximately £170 million into the newest Grand Theft Auto. That translates to about $265 million. That is a budget that rivals modern day blockbuster movies and is the most money ever put into the creation of a video game.
Here are some things to compare it too.
Highest Development Costs For Video Games
"Star Wars: The Old Republic (2011)" cost approximately $200 million.
"Grand Theft Auto IV (2008)" cost approximately $100 million. Also by Rockstar, "Red Dead Redemption (2010)" cost just about the same amount.
The brand-new "Disney Infinity (2013)" also cost about $100 million.
"Grand Turismo 5 (2010)" cost just about $60 million to develop.
I think its important to acknowledge that two of the most expensive games to develop (before GTA 5) were both, also, from Rockstar.
Highest Production Costs for Movies
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)" cost $300 million to make and, to date, is the most expensive movie productions ever.
"Tangled (2010)" cost .
"SpiderMan 3 (2007)" cost Marvel $258 million dollars.
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)" cost Warner Brothers approximately $250 million.
What That Means For GTA 5
At a cost of $265 million dollars, "Grand Theft Auto V" is not only the most expensive game ever developed (by $65 million), but also puts itself in the #2 slot if you put it up against highest movie production costs.
Its hard to know exactly what that means for "Grand Theft Auto V" - just because something is expensive, doesn't necessarily mean it'll be good. Rockstar does have a reputation for quality though, and a enthusiastic fan base that has already made over 2.6 million pre-orders for the soon-to-be-released game.
September 17th can't come soon enough.
