News

How Much Did It Cost To Make Modern Warfare 2?

3:40PM November 19, 2009 | Luke Plunkett

Modern Warfare 2 has made about a bazillion dollars so far around the world, but that’s not all profit. You’ve got to subtract the game’s development costs. And for such a polished game, those must be pretty high…

And they are. An LA Times report on the game’s launch says the game “cost $US40 million to $US50 million to produce”. That’s, uh, a lot. Gran Turismo 5 has cost $US60 million so far, but that game’s been in development for five years, not the two it took to get MW2 out the door.

So, yes, if you were wondering how Activision got so much detail, Fiddy and Keith David into the game, that’s how they did it. By throwing money at it.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 video game gets Hollywood-scale launch [LA Times]

Comments

  • Gerby

    November 19, 2009 at 4:00 PM

    Well if MW2 cost 40m to make I guess Dragon Age Origin cost 400m to make seeing as MW2 is just a 4hour campaign FPS with some copy pasted MP (if you can even call it MP on PC lol)

  • SemiConscious

    November 19, 2009 at 4:51 PM

    fuck thats a lot of monies to punch out more sub par games…. how long untill this degerated into
    (lube up now cause here it comes)
    MW3 (AKA MW10)
    then
    MW11
    anyone?

    • plmko

      November 19, 2009 at 5:03 PM

      I reckon 2/3 of the cost was allocated to the marketing team.

      • Milali

        November 19, 2009 at 5:52 PM

        I understand why its that high and no way is that including marketing.

        marketing alone with be that much

      • Damien

        November 19, 2009 at 7:48 PM

        And the rest

  • Alex

    November 19, 2009 at 6:03 PM

    Must have cost a lot of money to reuse the same engine from Call of Duty 4.

  • wallet

    November 19, 2009 at 6:05 PM

    $15-20 of that went to the guys doing the PC port

  • Stinky

    November 19, 2009 at 8:06 PM

    Sure are a lot of dudes hanging around here who don’t like video games…

    • HappyKamper

      November 20, 2009 at 3:40 AM

      I can’t believe ppl are bagging COD MP. It’s some of the best MP I’ve ever played. COD4 and GTA4 are the only MP games I’ve gone back to after not playing for several months.

      • Nick

        November 20, 2009 at 6:14 PM

        You only like it because youre a fanboy whos played nothing else decent in their life.

  • Ollycity

    November 19, 2009 at 9:23 PM

    I just finished it.
    Big frickin D.

    Don’t call me a hater, but I guess the hype, and the unbalanced multiplayer might’ve ruined it. I’ll keep playing, i hope it gets better.

    All I’m saying is when you’ve never played a COD the multiplayer’s shite.

    • Jo

      November 20, 2009 at 9:28 AM

      Totally agree, unless you do nothing else with your spare time the MP is just a lesson in being sniped by campers.
      Only for the hardcore 1337 – no place in it for someone who just wants a bit of fun.

  • Brett C

    November 19, 2009 at 10:38 PM

    For that price I would’ve liked a few more hours of Single Player, as it is it feels like it needs a epilogue or to finish out the story. It feels like it’s been intentionally left hanging for the inevitable sequel. Pissed me off in Halo 2, pissed me off here.

    • Sabmac

      November 20, 2009 at 3:19 AM

      Yeah I like how the whole goal of the game is to kill a guy who doesn’t seem to exist in the last 5 levels.

  • Heath K

    November 20, 2009 at 9:48 PM

    thats not a big budjet at all.. every ones getting conned by Activision MW2 is just reselling the same Quake3 based shit they have been selling for years.

    Props to the Editors at IW.. but seriously.. MW2 is a OLDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD style of game for dumb people

    GTA4 cost like 150million

    of the 50million i bet you activision spent 40million on marketing and only 10million to make the game..

    ITS 2 years of IW on level editors THATS NOT $$

  • LordLeckie

    November 21, 2009 at 8:45 PM

    Something tells me the vast majority of that was spent on team leads and bonus’ for the head honchos rather than the game itself.

  • Painkiller

    November 22, 2009 at 5:09 PM

    Single Player = 5 Hrs
    Game cost = 50 million to make

    That is 10 million an hour of campaign

    Or $166,666 per minute.

    For that kinda cash it could of been a better game. IW blows

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