Why do video game budgets get so big?

Why do some companies cost hundreds of millions of dollars to develop a popular video game?

A few weeks ago, The New York Times put the blame The never-ending quest to provide more realistic graphicsHe noted that the industry has begun to witness diminishing returns, leading to layoffs and the closure of studios.

However, Jason Schreier of Bloomberg This analysis argues He is “a little off the mark.” He doesn’t deny that budgets have increased dramatically ($20 million for Naughty Dog’s “Uncharted 2” in 2009 versus $220 million for “Last of Us Part II” in 2020) or that graphics play a role, but he said it really boils down to It’s that larger teams are needed for longer periods of time, because of improved graphics, yes, but also because of the increased scope of games.

Additionally, he wrote, “everyone” who has spent at least a few years in the industry has “their own horror story” about management decisions like “a feature that was canceled because the CEO’s teenage son didn’t like it” or teams made up of hundreds of employees. People “get stuck in pre-production trying to figure out what the ‘core loop’ of the game will look like.”

So, if game companies are really worried about bloated budgets, Schreier says they should focus their “introspection” on the mismanagement that can end up wasting everyone’s work and time.