Call of Duty's Big Spends Unveiled

Record-Breaking Call of Duty Budgets: A Look at the Rising Costs of AAA Game Development

Recent disclosures reveal that Activision's Call of Duty franchise has reached unprecedented budget heights, with some titles costing upwards of $700 million. This surpasses previous industry benchmarks, highlighting the escalating financial investment required for AAA game development.

The figures, revealed in a court filing, detail the development costs for three Call of Duty games: Black Ops 3 ($450 million), Modern Warfare (2019) ($640 million+), and Black Ops Cold War (over $700 million). These represent the highest development budgets ever recorded for the franchise, with Black Ops Cold War setting a new industry record. The success of these titles, with sales exceeding 30 million and 41 million copies respectively, underscores the significant financial risk and reward inherent in AAA game production. Even Black Ops 3's $450 million budget significantly outpaces the development cost of other acclaimed titles like The Last of Us Part 2 ($220 million).

Black Ops Cold War: A $700 Million+ Undertaking

The budget for Black Ops Cold War is particularly noteworthy, exceeding even the massive $644 million spent on Star Citizen. This is striking, considering Star Citizen's funding was spread across 11 years through crowdfunding, while Black Ops Cold War was financed solely by Activision.

The trend of escalating budgets is undeniable. Comparing the $40 million spent on Final Fantasy VII in 1997 (then considered a massive investment) to today's AAA game budgets underscores the dramatic increase in development costs. Activision's recent disclosures serve as a stark reminder of the ever-growing financial landscape of the video game industry, leaving one to speculate on the potential budgets for future installments like Black Ops 6.