Revealed: Call of Duty's Colossal Budget

Call of Duty's Astronomical Budgets Shatter Industry Records

Recent disclosures reveal that Activision's Call of Duty franchise has reached unprecedented heights in terms of development costs, with budgets for some titles exceeding $700 million. This surpasses even the massive budget of Star Citizen, highlighting the escalating financial investment in AAA game development.

The staggering figures—ranging from $450 million to a record-breaking $700 million—represent the highest ever recorded for the Call of Duty franchise. Black Ops Cold War leads the pack, with its $700 million budget dwarfing even the most expensive games of previous generations. This underscores the immense resources and extended development timelines now common in the creation of blockbuster video games. While indie games often thrive on comparatively modest budgets, the AAA landscape paints a different picture, showcasing a continuous upward trend in production costs. Games like Red Dead Redemption 2, Cyberpunk 2077, and The Last of Us Part 2, once considered exceptionally expensive, now pale in comparison to these Call of Duty figures.

According to a December 23rd California court filing, Activision's head of Call of Duty creative, Patrick Kelly, revealed the budgets for Black Ops 3, Modern Warfare (2019), and Black Ops Cold War. Black Ops Cold War, with its over $700 million price tag and over 30 million copies sold, stands out. Modern Warfare (2019) follows closely, with a development cost exceeding $640 million and sales surpassing 41 million units. Even Black Ops 3, the least expensive of the three at $450 million, still significantly outpaces the $220 million budget of The Last of Us Part 2.

Black Ops Cold War's Budget: A New Benchmark

The over $700 million budget for Black Ops Cold War sets a new industry standard, surpassing even Star Citizen's substantial $644 million development cost. This is particularly noteworthy considering Star Citizen's reliance on crowdfunding over 11 years, while Black Ops Cold War was solely financed by Activision.

The escalating costs are readily apparent when comparing current AAA game budgets to those of previous generations. Final Fantasy VII, a groundbreaking game released in 1997, had a then-massive budget of $40 million. Today, that figure seems minuscule in the context of modern AAA development. Activision's recent disclosures serve as a stark reminder of the ever-increasing financial pressures within the video game industry.