is it a WWE game featuring Barrack Obama ?

So the more money it costs to make the better the game?

No, but it means that he wants to use lots of high quality assets.  Believe it or not, some game creators love creating incredibly detailed worlds, with incredible texures, models, orchestrated music, etc.

With a high budget, they're trying harder to get a better game that eventually recoups the development costs.

No one wants to make a mediocre game with a high budget, that doesn't sell in this industry.

In short: The higher the budget, the higher the chance a game is going to be good.

Lack of efficiency?  The bulk of costs are on the size of your staff involved.  The more people you have on, to increase production values, the more likely you are to drive up costs.  Oh, you can cut corners, by like reducing the number of QA people.  Anyone here think that is a good idea?  Considering people say "the game is not ready" and "they should of put more time into it" and "it is rushed" I don't think cutting QA is a good idea.  And the longer development is also impacts the cost of development.

In the arms race of videogames, production value is what the indusrtry thinks makes a difference.  The belief is not that you do something new, but you do something at a higher production value, and more people will buy it.  If you go the innovator's route, you usually can get off a lot cheaper (read Portal here), but then companies have a hard time justifying anything.  So, the idea is to do a $100 million GTA4, because it is a lock to sell a TON, the belief goes.

Interesting... lately Im folowing THQ closely, because they are one of the few developers that managed to turn things around A little over a year ago I was almost certain that THQ will go bankrupt, now they are starting to produce some pretty good games

Games are budgeted based on analysis of what is needed in terms of employees and tools.  Number of employees are estimated based on what assets are going to be needed in terms of game content and code.  Executive's purses are pinched pretty tight, in order to justify budgets, things must be explained.  No one just writes blank checks.

Its gonna be somekind of Tony Hawk..... there not going to risk that much on new tech if its not an established IP..... Personally im done with Tony >:(

hunter_alien said: Interesting... lately Im folowing THQ closely, because they are one of the few developers that managed to turn things around A little over a year ago I was almost certain that THQ will go bankrupt, now they are starting to produce some pretty good games

So 1 good game and they are turning around?