Summary

• Call of Duty games have set new records with budgets reaching up to $700 million.
• Black Ops Cold War's $700 million budget surpasses even Star Citizen.
• Rising AAA game budgets highlight the escalating costs in the video game industry.

Activision has revealed the budgets of three Call of Duty titles, showcasing some of the highest figures in gaming history, ranging from $450 to $700 million. These staggering development costs for the Call of Duty franchise are unprecedented, with Black Ops Cold War leading the pack.

Creating video games is a complex and resource-intensive endeavor, often spanning several years. While indie games can be developed on modest budgets through platforms like Kickstarter, the AAA sector operates on a vastly different scale. The budgets for blockbuster titles have been steadily increasing, far exceeding those of classic games once deemed expensive. Notable examples of costly games include Red Dead Redemption 2, Cyberpunk 2077, and The Last of Us Part 2, yet none match the recently disclosed budgets for Call of Duty titles.

According to Game File, Patrick Kelly, Activision’s head of creative for the Call of Duty franchise, disclosed in a California court filing on December 23 the development budgets for Black Ops 3, Modern Warfare (2019), and Black Ops Cold War. The latter's development cost soared over $700 million, taking years to complete and selling over 30 million copies. Modern Warfare, developed by Infinity Ward, had a budget exceeding $640 million and sold 41 million copies. Black Ops 3, with the lowest budget among the three at $450 million, still significantly outstrips the $220 million spent on The Last of Us Part 2.

Black Ops Cold War Exceeded $700 Million in Development Costs

The budget for Black Ops Cold War stands as the highest ever recorded in the video game industry, even surpassing Star Citizen’s $644 million, which was amassed through crowdfunding over 11 years. This is particularly notable as Black Ops Cold War was funded by a single company.

Considering the trend of increasing budgets, it's intriguing to speculate how much the cost of games like Black Ops 6 might have escalated since Black Ops Cold War's release in 2020. The budget for Final Fantasy 7 in 1997, at $40 million, was considered groundbreaking at the time, yet it pales in comparison to today's AAA game budgets. Activision's recent disclosures underscore the relentless rise in costs within the video game industry.