Call of Duty's Astronomical Budgets Shatter Industry Records

Recent disclosures reveal that Activision's Call of Duty franchise boasts development budgets reaching unprecedented heights, with figures ranging from $450 million to a staggering $700 million. This surpasses even the most expensive titles previously known, highlighting the escalating costs within the AAA video game industry. Black Ops Cold War, with its $700 million budget, takes the crown.

The sheer scale of modern AAA game development is immense. These projects often span years, demanding significant financial and human resources. While indie games thrive on smaller budgets secured through platforms like Kickstarter, the world of blockbuster titles operates on a vastly different scale. Costs have steadily climbed, dwarfing even the budgets of previously considered "expensive" classics. Games like Red Dead Redemption 2, Cyberpunk 2077, and The Last of Us Part 2, while costly, pale in comparison to the newly revealed Call of Duty figures.

As reported by Game File, Activision's creative head, Patrick Kelly, revealed in a December 23rd court filing the development costs of Black Ops 3, Modern Warfare (2019), and Black Ops Cold War. Black Ops Cold War's exceeding $700 million budget is particularly noteworthy, resulting in over 30 million copies sold after years of development. Modern Warfare (2019), with its $640 million-plus budget, sold an impressive 41 million copies. Even Black Ops 3, the least expensive of the three at $450 million, still more than doubles the $220 million development cost of The Last of Us Part 2.

Black Ops Cold War: A $700 Million Milestone

Black Ops Cold War's budget sets a new industry benchmark, surpassing even Star Citizen's substantial $644 million development cost. This is remarkable considering Black Ops Cold War was solely financed by Activision, unlike Star Citizen's eleven-year crowdfunding campaign.

The trend of escalating budgets is undeniable. Consider Final Fantasy VII's $40 million budget in 1997—a monumental sum at the time, yet dwarfed by today's AAA game costs. Activision's recent disclosures serve as stark evidence of the ever-increasing expenses in the video game industry, leaving us to speculate on the potential budgets of future Call of Duty installments.