Making Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Game Reportedly Costs $700 Million

The making cost of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War has left behind the budget of games like Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man 2 and

Reportedly Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War has sold more than 30 million copies till now.

Source : Activision

Activision has disclosed the budgets for its recent Call of Duty games, revealing them to be some of the most expensive video games ever created—at least among those with publicly known figures. Unlike the film industry, video game development costs are rarely made public. When such information does surface, it is typically due to leaks or legal circumstances beyond the publisher's control.

For instance, in 2023, court documents from Sony unintentionally revealed the development costs for The Last of Us Part 2 and Horizon Forbidden West. That same year, a hacking incident exposed the budget for Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man 2. These leaked figures ranged from $212 million to over $300 million, representing the upper tier of typical triple-A game budgets, as reported by the Metro. However, even these high costs pale in comparison to what Activision reportedly spends on each new installment of the Call of Duty franchise.

How Much Does Call Of Duty Game Cost To Developers?

In December, Patrick Kelly, the creative lead for the Call of Duty series, revealed the development costs and sales figures for three of the franchise's more recent games in a court filing. The specific titles and their associated budgets are outlined below.

• Call Of Duty: Black Ops 3 (2015) – Over $450 million (about £358 million) in development costs – 43 million copies sold
• Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) – Over $640 million (about £509 million) in development costs – 41 million copies sold
• Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (2020) – Over $700 million (about £557 million) in development costs – 30 million copies sold

According to Game File's Stephen Totilo on Blusky, the figures for Black Ops Cold War also cover marketing costs, reported the Metro.

The filing, recently uncovered by Game File, is tied to a lawsuit stemming from the tragic Uvalde, Texas, school shooting in 2022. Filed last May, the suit claims that the Call of Duty series played a role in influencing the shooter, who was reportedly an avid player of the franchise, particularly the three games mentioned in the document.

It's striking to realize that even Call of Duty titles from nearly a decade ago had development costs exceeding those of modern AAA single-player games from Sony. For instance, Horizon Forbidden West was developed for $212 million (approximately £168 million), The Last of Us Part 2 cost $220 million (£174 million), and Spider-Man 2 had a budget exceeding $300 million (over £239 million).

Despite being replaced annually by new entries, Call of Duty games are heavily monetized through microtransactions, making them likely far more profitable than single-player games. However, the precise revenue figures for these games are unlikely to ever be disclosed.