routsounmanman said:
ssj12 said:
NJ5 said:
FishyJoe said:
If MGS4 really costs $70 million, it's going to need 3-4 million sales just to break even. That would put into context MGS4 needing 1 million sales on the first day. |
Indeed. When I saw that statement, I thought it was pretty strange, but this puts it in a new light. MGS3 sold 3.96 million, which means MGS4 has to sell as much as its predecessor just to break even. HappySqurriel said:
I wonder if anyone remembers when we found out the size of the development team of Metal Gear Solid 4 and I estimated the budget at $40 to $80 Million and was attacked by Sony fans that it would NEVER cost more than $20 Million ... |
I do in fact remember that. I remember some people were saying that you had no idea of how much a developer costs in Japan, even though we all know it's a very expensive country to live in. It's now proven that you were spot-on with your calculations. |
Doesnt matter much if Sony is paying for most of the development costs. |
Indeed. But what about the next game? (not a next MGS, another 50+ million $ game) What if this happens to FFXIII as well? Will Sony be able to fund all those projects? Will they want to? Will the 3rd parties think it's worth it or they'll switch to cheaper games / platforms? |
I think the better question would be: should that be necessary? Should the industry be in a situation where third parties can't even afford to make their own games anymore? I think it speaks volumes about the financial difficulties the industry is facing.
If the game doesn't live up to the gigantic sales that would be required at a 70 million dollar budget, somebody is losing money, whether that is Konami, or Sony. Whoever paid. That isn't a sustainable situation.
With all that said, I personally doubt this game actually costs this much. It sounds, to me, like a developer just taking a shot in the dark.
