Summary
- RPG development costs are significant, with budgets ranging from $40 million to over $900 million.
- SquareSoft's classic games set high standards during the PS1 era, with huge budgets that put modern titles to shame.
- Marketing plays a big role in the success of RPGs, like Cyberpunk 2077, which had a budget of $441.9 million.
The role-playing genre has evolved by leaps and bounds to become one of the most popular genres that video games dip their toes into regularly. The sense of progression in these games, coupled with the grand adventure usually present in these titles, has made them incredibly popular.
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The strengths of these top-notch RPGs often belie the horror that permeates throughout.
This is why most AAA companies invest the big bucks to ensure that state-of-the-art RPGs attract as massive an audience as possible. These development and marketing costs can be downright ridiculous, showing just how much money is required to make a good role-playing game.
Total cost includes the money invested in both development and marketing. This figure is not adjusted for inflation.
8 Final Fantasy 9
Total Cost: $40 Million
Final Fantasy 9
- Released
- July 7, 2000
WHERE TO PLAY
SquareSoft really was at the very top of their game during the PS1 era. The fact that the development budget for their classic games puts most modern titles to shame is a testament to just how dominant this company was during the golden age of JRPGs.
Final Fantasy 9 is one of their best PS1 games, with its $40 million budget being eye-watering back in the day. Thankfully, this paid off, since the game's visuals and script have aged like fine wine to turn this title into the best mainline Final Fantasy entry for most fans.
7 Lords Of The Fallen
Total Cost: $66.6 Million
Lords of the Fallen
- Released
- October 13, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- HEXWORKS
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- Platform(s)
- PS5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PC
It's a testament to how expensive video game development has become that a Soulslike game boasts one of the biggest development budgets in gaming history. Seeing Lords of the Fallen can be puzzling for players who had no idea that this game had such massive financial backing.
After all, the title has some issues that prevent it from standing toe-to-toe with other quality Soulslikes. It may not justify the budget, but players who want to enjoy a competently made action RPG might have a fun time with Lords of the Fallen.
6 Black Myth: Wukong
Total Cost: $70 Million
Black Myth: Wukong
- Released
- August 20, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Game Science
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Black Myth: Wukong is one of the biggest hits of 2024, making a huge dent in the Chinese market and showing how important it is for developers from other countries to make their mark in the industry. The boss fights are a highlight in this title and show where the bulk of the budget went.
Players must master parries and dodges to avoid unnecessary damage and take out these fierce bosses. This may seem easier said than done, but players who stick with Black Myth: Wukong will eventually get the hang of its combat and beat down the toughest bosses of the game in scintillating encounters.
5 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Total Cost: $81 Million
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Released
- May 19, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
CD Projekt Red went all out in the development of The Witcher 3, ensuring that the game generated notable buzz while also marking a worthy final adventure for Geralt's video game adventures. The result is one of the greatest RPGs ever made that fans still can't get enough of to this day.
Geralt's quest to find Ciri leads to him exploring several unique environments in the Continent as he gets embroiled in several political schemes and helps villages with their monster problems from time to time. It's an amazing dark fantasy RPG that justifies all the money CD Projekt Red invested in their masterpiece.
4 Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Total Cost: $144 Million (Estimated)
Final Fantasy 7 Remake
- Released
- April 10, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen due to Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix Business Division 1
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
Even with the developers working with an established game, Final Fantasy 7 Remake still ended up being pretty expensive. They had to devise a bold new combat system, recapture the magic of the original game, and add new sections to flesh out Midgar.
The result is a game that is way bigger than fans expected, with the budget to match. Both marketing and development played a huge role in ensuring that fans could recapture their nostalgia with the release of Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
3 Final Fantasy 7
Total Cost: $80-145 Million
Final Fantasy 7
- Released
- January 31, 1997
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Fantasy Violence, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation (Original), PC, iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PS4
Final Fantasy 7 is the first-ever AAA game, and the massive budget proves it. Development expenses were definitely high, but a huge reason why the budget crossed a $100 million is because of the sheer amount of money put into marketing the game.
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The town management elements in these RPGs are well-thought-out, and add to each title's narrative.
This aggressive strategy paid dividends, with the game single-handedly turning JRPGs into one of the biggest gaming genres and causing a massive wave of interest for future SquareSoft games. It was a genius investment in hindsight, since Square Enix would've never enjoyed its position in the video game industry right now had it not been for Final Fantasy 7's runaway success.
2 Cyberpunk 2077
Total Cost: $441.9 Million
Cyberpunk 2077
- Released
- December 10, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
Cyberpunk 2077's budget was massive, and the vast majority of it went into marketing. The hype for this title was unreal, and fans couldn't wait to check out the finished product, only for the game to be shipped in a broken state and causing one of the most cataclysmic PR disasters in gaming history.
It's still hard to believe that CD Projekt Red bounced back and convinced players that Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the best RPGs ever made. Ironing out all the bugs and improving the gameplay with the release of a lauded expansion pack went a long way in salvaging the title's reputation.
1 Genshin Impact
Total Cost: More Than $900 Million
Genshin Impact
- Released
- September 28, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Teen / Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items), Users Interact
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Action, Adventure, Gacha, Open-World
The eye-watering $900 million spent on Genshin Impact is unreal enough as is, and fans will find it even harder to believe that this amount will only increase over time. After all, Genshin Impact is a money-minting live-service open-world game that will continue to generate revenue as long as the developers are prudent about adding a ton of content to this title.
This massive budget is a testament to the ridiculous level of popularity this game enjoys. Acquiring a great hero when the gacha mechanics align in the player's favor is always satisfying, as players mess around with a different suite of powers for a few hours.
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