Sony spent $220 million to make The Last of Us Part 2

Video game companies are notoriously secretive. They capitalize on the hype to make every announcement an exciting surprise. Video game developers keep a lot of information under wraps, partly to maintain fan interest and excitement. But they also do this because of how many changes can occur during development and that studios need to hide their work from rivals. We very rarely know how much a video game costs to make; we just know that it takes more and more money as games get bigger — maybe “irresponsibly large,” as Bethesda’s Pete Hines said last week.

Microsoft and Activision Blizzard’s legal battle with the Federal Trade Commission is pulling back the curtain on that development, to some extent. Court documents from the companies have largely been redacted, but there’s usually plenty to glean from what isn’t. Sony Interactive Entertainment’s document, which was heavily redacted on Wednesday, revealed the actual numbers of both Horizon Forbidden WestYou can also find out more about the following: The Last of Us Part 2,’s development. They were also expansive. Horizon Forbidden WestThe cost was $212,000,000 for a period of five years, with 300 full-time programmers. The Last of Us Part 2,Sony’s documents state that it cost approximately $220 millions over six years, with 200 full time employees.

The documents have been pulled from the FTC hearing’s evidence list as of Wednesday, but The Verge’s Tom Warren tweetedShortly after the documents had been uploaded, a small excerpt was released. The numbers likely don’t include Sony’s marketing budget for each game, but the company’s lawyer noted that “marketing costs for AAA games are large, even for established franchises.” It’s unclear, also, whether the number includes outsourcing costs. It’s common for video game studios to outsource big portions of development. The costs of both are included in the total. Horizon Forbidden WestYou can also find out more about the following: The Last of Us Part 2,The actual number is probably much higher.

It is unsustainable to see video games costs rise at this rate. Earlier this year, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority put out a 418-page report — also related to the Microsoft and Activision merger — reporting that games over the past five years have had average budgets between $50 to $150 million. The average cost of games currently being produced, with release dates set between 2024 and 2025, is more than $200,000,000. The combined costs of development and marketing for a game with a redacted name were estimated to be more than $1 billion by one publisher.

Shawn Layden, former CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, said this in an interview 2021 with Bloomberg. Sure, sequels and reboots are fine, but an industry that takes fewer risks is a boring one — and bad for games and development as a whole.

Microsoft’s FTC hearing continues this week as more experts and gaming executives, including Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, take the stand. The FTC is looking for the judge to temporarily block Microsoft and Activision Blizzard’s $68.7 billion merger. This decision will decide if the merger will be temporarily halted while the FTC’s case is resolved.