The Last of Us franchise began over a decade ago and has since joined PlayStation’s most successful IPs. PlayStation released The Last of Us Part 2 in 2020, marking the second entry in the popular franchise.
However, gaming budgets have skyrocketed between the release of the two games. Modern games cost much more than previous AAA titles, and a new document reveals The Last of Us Part 2 cost $220 million for Sony.
Why it matters: The increasing budgets for AAA titles have led to concerns about these games being unsustainable. This also leads to pressure on the developers, as failure can have significant consequences.
Previously, Shuhei Yoshida revealed God of War Ragnarok had a budget of nearly $200 million. Therefore, The Last of Us 2 exceeded this budget by 10%.
He also pointed out that AAA games like God of War 3 required a budget of about $60 million. God of War 3 was released in 2010, showing significantly higher development costs a decade later.
Despite the high cost, PlayStation saw plenty of success with The Last of Us Part 2. It sold over 10 million copies and received praise from nearly every game critic. The title was also awarded Game of The Year in 2020.
Addressing the increasing costs of game development, a Cyberpunk 2077 developer claimed that AAA games are becoming unsustainable. While the developer was referring to more than just the costs, the amount of money spent also contributes to this unsustainability.
Recent rumors have claimed that Naughty Dog is now busy with The Last of Us Part 3. Higher production values and greater ambitions for each new release mean that it is very likely PlayStation has assigned an even bigger budget for the next title.
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