Since successive generations, the 3A game industry has been threatened by rising development budgets. As the cost of game production increases, the studio finds it difficult to make profits, leading to an uncertain outlook for the entire industry.
It is well known that the production cost of the 3A game is in the range of $100 million to $250 million, and the cost of the development of the ” Last Liver 2 ” , which is known to be the top technology of our generation, was only $220 million in 2020, yet industry sources suggest that the average budget of the 3A game now exceeds $300 million. The speed with which the sector ‘ s budget was out of control was amply illustrated. According to Jason Schreer ‘ s latest post on Bluesky, the 3A game cost $300 million or more as usual. He also stressed that a major act like GTA6 would certainly be well above $300 million.
He noted that these development costs did not include a bonus for a large game studio executive. As a result, during the usual three to four-year production cycle, the developer ‘ s salary alone and other costs associated with game development would amount to $300 million. It is interesting to note that if a game costs $300 million to develop, at a sales price of $70, more than 4 million will have to be sold to make a profit. This number may be close to 6 million if the costs of the platform ‘ s extraction and distribution are included. And the sale of $6 million is a considerable target for any game, and this year’s burning ARPG has sold only 3 million copies of the Red Desert so far.
The exception, of course, is the 2A-sized game of Light and Shadow: Expedition 33 and ARC Raiders, which highlights the fact that even when there is a limited budget, an excellent game experience can be created. Perhaps this is the model that industry needs to follow in order to move towards a more sustainable future.