Grab a seat because Activision just dropped some jaw-dropping numbers about the Call of Duty franchise that are bound to make anyone’s head spin.
A recent court case has pulled back the curtain on development costs and sales figures for select titles in this mega-franchise. Thanks to GameFile, we now glimpse just how much it takes to bring these games to life. So, let’s break it down!
The numbers are staggering. Get this: Black Ops 3, which hit shelves in 2015, racked up a whopping development cost of $430 million, selling around 43 million copies. Fast forward to Modern Warfare 2019, which not only revived interest in the series but also brought Warzone into our lives; that little gem cost $640 million and sold about 41 million copies. But wait! The crown for most expensive goes to Black Ops Cold War, released in 2020 with an eye-watering budget of $700 million and selling “only” around 30 million copies.
You might think that those figures would leave Activision reeling from losses, but nope! They’ve managed not only to cover their costs but also stack up profits like nobody’s business. Besides the full-price ticket at $70 per game, they rake in millions from skins and CoD Points, talk about making money moves!
The game’s monetization strategy has evolved as well, remember when Season Passes were all the rage? Now with Blackcell making waves, players are incentivized even further to open their wallets. Every update seems like another way for them to get you spending on virtual goodies.
If this data doesn’t surprise you enough already, consider that newer releases like Black Ops 6 likely come with even bigger price tags attached. Do not forget about Rockstar’s upcoming GTA VI. You can bet its development costs will rival or exceed these monstrous figures too!
