The development cost of blockbuster games has been unveiled in court documents submitted by Sony. The details, which were initially blacked out, revealed that games like “Horizon Forbidden West” and “The Last of Us Part II” each cost over $200 million. Sony submitted these documents as part of the US antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, in order to emphasize the importance of individual titles for competition. Sony is concerned that Microsoft could release exclusive games for PC and Xbox consoles, potentially giving them an advantage in the console market. However, Microsoft has reassured Sony that they will continue to offer “Call of Duty” titles on the PlayStation. The court documents also highlighted the significance of Call of Duty for Sony, generating $800 million in sales on the PlayStation in the US alone. Developing new console titles is also expensive, with “Horizon Forbidden West” costing $212 million and “The Last of Us Part II” costing $220 million. It is interesting to note that almost half of all PlayStation 5 owners also own a Nintendo Switch, while only 20 percent own an Xbox Series X or S. The court documents have provided additional information on the industry, including Microsoft’s plans to move Windows 11 to the cloud and their previous acquisition targets such as Sega and Bungie. However, the reasons for Microsoft’s decision against these purchases remain unknown.
