[Game File] Call of Duty's massive development budgets revealed - $700 million for Black Ops Cold War

[Gizmo_Duck]

In a court filing reviewed by Game File that has not been previously reported, Patrick Kelly, Activision's current head of creative on the Call of Duty franchise, said that three Call of Duty games, released between 2015 and 2020, cost $450-700 million to make.

The disclosed totals are the highest development costs ever reported by a major video game company—and top just about any that have ever leaked or been estimated by analysts.

Here are the Call of Duty development costs from Kelly's filing, which Game File has reviewed:

• Black Ops III (2015): "Treyarch developed the game over three years with a creative team of hundreds of people, and invested over $450 million in development costs over the game's lifecycle." (Kelly also discloses that it has sold 43 million copies.)
• Modern Warfare (2019): "Infinity Ward developed the game over several years and has spent over $640 million in development costs throughout the game's lifecycle." (41 million copies sold)
• Black Ops Cold War (2020): "Treyarch and Raven Software took years to create the game with a team of hundreds of creatives. They ultimately spent over $700 million in development costs over the game's lifecycle." (30 million copies sold)

Call of Duty's massive development budgets revealed: $700 million for Black Ops Cold War

The biggest development budgets ever disclosed by a game company, buried in a court filing (but found by Game File), along with updated sales figures.

www.gamefile.news

 

[ball15life]

They probably make that back in a weekend

 

[levitate]

* Insert Kevin Hart “Damn” gif.

LOL at the thought of COD ever leaving PS.

Edit: so BO6 was likely pushing towards a billion.

 

[Gizmo_Duck]

* Insert Kevin Hart “Damn” gif.

LOL at the thought of COD ever leaving PS.

Edit: so BO6 was likely pushing towards a billion.

Yeah, it leads me to believe the development budget of GTA6 really is over a billy

 

[MeachTheMonster]

Late ass nikkas acting surprised now

 

[FINALE]

with how much they reuse shyt im surprised it's this high unless 90% of that is the marketing budget

 

[O³ (O cubed)]

Considering that they literally have to spit out a COD every year, the amount of people working on a game must be very high. Thus driving up costs.

 

[Gizmo_Duck]

Considering that they literally have to spit out a COD every year, the amount of people working on a game must be very high. Thus driving up costs.

It’s kind of crazy for an annual game franchise. There was no way this could have ever been exclusive. It will be interesting to see if they are properly recouping that money from gamepass memberships

 

[ItWasWritten]

all the season passes, skins and all other shyt they sale, i can see how they aren't concerned with that budget

 

[Gizmo_Duck]

Also, those rumors how COD was gonna start skipping years is even funnier now

 

[Regular_P]

And $0 on upgrading these trash ass servers. The game is going backwards graphically too. Black Ops 6 looks like dogshyt compared to MW19.

 

[TDT]

with how much they reuse shyt im surprised it's this high unless 90% of that is the marketing budget

Some of the celebrities they sometimes cast as NPCs be asking for a lot of cash probably...

 

[Child_Of_God]

waste of money.

 

[Rekkapryde]

Some of the celebrities they sometimes cast as NPCs be asking for a lot of cash probably...

Well get some Coli nikkaz

 

[Gizmo_Duck]

Doesn’t cover marketing