Halo Infinite is rumored to be the most expensive game ever developed at a whopping $500 million, so where exactly does that money go? It is no secret that the Halo series is fundamental to the Xbox console, and more than ever the upcoming title is set to be a massive title for not only the Xbox One, but also the currently named next-gen release, Project Scarlett, as well as for Windows PC.
German website Xbox Dynasty is reporting the rumored price, though they provide no evidence to support their claim, and previous rumors have largely been debunked in other areas. Still, considering how important this title will be to the future of the console, it would not be unreasonable to consider the development to draw the highest amount of resources. By comparison, Destiny and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 had, but did not exceed, budgets of $300 million. With that in mind, the rumor is not so unrealistic, at least in principle. Still, where does that development money go?
Here are some of the fundamental parts of game development that require different amounts of resources, depending on a number of factors:
- Development: Salary for a development team
- Software: Licenses and data needed for development
- Intellectual property: Purchase of rights to the brand, character
- Purchasing the right equipment for development
- Exponential cost growth of the game that depends on various factors
Development: Salary for a Development Team
These are the people translating a vision or a concept into a tangible asset. Game designers, for example, take the raw ideas and work to develop rules for content within the bounds of the overall project scope.
Programmers will be needed on the client side and may use such popular engines such as Unity 3D, or Unreal. There are others, and a game like Halo Infinite may even be requiring the creation of a brand-new engine to serve the purposes for Microsoft for years to come. Creating an engine is by no means cheap and may need a heavy allocation of funds. As stated earlier, these individuals may need to be working on the game so that it functions on three distinct platforms: the current Xbox console, the next generation console, and Windows PC, all of which adds to the workload and cost.
Graphics and animation will draw a significant salary as well, specializing in creating 2D and 3D objects, real-world development scenarios, visual effects (VFX), technical designers engaged in writing shaders, and more.
Finally, sound design also plays a large part in the salary costs of development. While there are likely already many sounds within the Halo series that can be used, especially because fans come to expect the familiarity of certain sounds, there are likely to be many original sounds created from scratch.
Software: Licenses and Data Needed for Development
We are not privy to the type of software used in the development of Halo Infinite, but there are few likely scenarios. Using Unity3D Pro, for instance, costs $125 per month per user, so that can stack quickly in cost depending on the size of the team. There are free alternatives to paid software, but it depends on exactly what they need from the program.
Once again, there is always the chance that Microsoft is working on something entirely new for this, and other games on the next generation of Xbox console. If funds for Halo Infinite go towards this creation of a new engine, in some ways we can then state that the true cost of the game is not really $500 million, but less as the cost of the engine will be used for other programs for years to come.
Intellectual Property: Purchase of Rights to the Brand, Character
Microsoft certainly must own all of the intellectual property relating to Halo, but in general, a game developer may not.
Purchasing the Right Equipment for Development
This again may not be a major factor for Microsoft, but it could be. Does the next Xbox console’s development kit demands specific equipment to develop for?
In a more contemporary sense, there is also the need to have proper motion capture software and hardware. This is especially true since we appear to be getting heavy into the use of actor’s for both their likenesses and voices. The recent trailers for both Death Stranding and Cyberpunk 2077 revealed that Norman Reedus and Keanu Reeves appear in the games and lend their voices. How much must that cost? Microsoft may be planning something similar since actors in games appear to be coming into vogue.
Exponential Cost Growth of the Game that Depends on Game Complexity
This is a bit of a catch-all for points that relate to the unpredictability of a project. Does the project become delayed by unforeseen circumstances? Better hire more developers to meet that deadline and avoid crunch time for the existing staff.
As a project grows in the scope of its vision and overall complexity, there are bound to be countless tasks that need to be completed, and the project becomes larger and requires more resources to move forward.
These are only a summary of the most essential and obvious tasks needed to develop a game, to say nothing of testing and post-launch fixes and content expansions.
Microsoft may very well be spending $500 million to develop Halo Infinite, and when we consider the importance of the project for them and the launch of the next Xbox console, it seems more plausible than ever. They will no doubt look to do a great job, for they would not want to be known as having created the most expensive video game flop in history, that is for sure.
Halo Infinite is currently looking at a Holiday season launch in 2020, likely with the release of the next Xbox console.