Call of Duty's Huge Development Budget Exposed

Activision has revealed the development budgets for three Call of Duty titles, with figures reaching a staggering $450 to $700 million. These unprecedented sums represent the highest production costs in the franchise's history, with Black Ops Cold War leading the way.

Video game development is a colossal undertaking. The creation process typically spans many years and demands immense resources, both in manpower and capital. While some independent games achieve fame despite modest budgets, often funded through platforms like Kickstarter, the AAA sector operates on an entirely different scale. The budgets for major releases have been climbing steadily, dwarfing what were once considered expensive classics. Titles like Red Dead Redemption 2, Cyberpunk 2077, and The Last of Us Part 2 rank among the most costly productions, yet none approach the recently disclosed figures for the Call of Duty series.

According to a report by 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 budgets for Black Ops 3, Modern Warfare (2019), and Black Ops Cold War. The latter's development costs surpassed $700 million. This particular title took Activision several years to complete and has sold over 30 million copies. Modern Warfare follows, with Infinity Ward investing more than $640 million in its development, leading to 41 million copies sold. Finally, Black Ops 3, while the most budget-friendly of the three at $450 million, still doubles the $220 million development cost of The Last of Us Part 2.

Black Ops Cold War Development Costs Surpass $700 Million

The budget for Black Ops Cold War stands as the highest ever recorded in video gaming, eclipsing even the substantial $644 million development cost of Star Citizen. This is particularly noteworthy considering Black Ops Cold War was funded solely by a single corporation, while Star Citizen's budget was accumulated through over a decade of crowdfunding.

This trend prompts questions about the potential budget for future titles like Black Ops 6, especially since the launch of Black Ops Cold War in 2020. Development costs are demonstrably rising year after year. For perspective, Final Fantasy 7, released in 1997 and celebrated for its graphical and technical innovation, had a production budget of $40 million—a figure deemed enormous at the time. Today, that amount appears minuscule compared to the standard for AAA games. The budgets recently disclosed by Activision serve as a clear indicator of the video game industry's escalating production expenses.