GTA IV cost $100 million to make?

GTA IV producer Leslie Benzies has said during an interview with the The Times Online that he believes the blockbuster game has cost Rockstar almost 100 million USD to create and produce, making it by far the most expensive game ever made.

During the interview Benzies also added that over 1000 people worked on the game for 3 and a half years, a huge production by any stretch.

If his estimate is correct than the game's development costs would make it the most expensive game in the history of consoles, topping Sega's Shenmue for the Dreamcast which had a 75 million USD development budget.

If retailer estimates are correct however, than the game has already made back its budget worldwide. In the UK, over 600,000 copies were sold on the first day, and analysts have predicted that the game will gross 400 million USD in its first 7 days.

Benzies also took time to talk about the media bashing of Rockstar, claiming that all those in the government and media that bashed the games had never played them.

Why do people object to the game? "You kill prostitutes," he told the Times Online. "That's usually the objection."

"There is a big fear factor here. It's the coming of the railways. It's Elvis shaking his hips. It's cars going over 25 miles an hour and making people explode."

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 1 May 2008 16:40

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29 comments

bdoggie08

game is awesum-the framerate for the ps3 sometimes slows horribly, its kinda dark, but the game is huge :p. I heard that the 360 and ps3 versions don't run at 1080p, being since people buying their new next gen consoles were hoping for...someone correct me please, i am curious. :P

1.5.2008 17:58 #1

PetahG

the gaming industry makes sooooo much money...its unbelievable..it cost them 100 mil to make but they will get about 1.5 in profit at least. Its crazy, and this is why I think downloading is pefectly ok.

1.5.2008 22:11 #2

DoomLight

i've seen both versions.

the PS3 version doesn't seem to load any faster than the 360 version.
and in my opinion the 360 runs the game at a better frame rate and has better antialaising capabilities.

im not a fan boy. im just telling you how i see it.

as for the numbers i want more exact numbers on the sales. cause im sure everyone wants to know how good this game kicked ass!

the game Dirt sold a half million copies in a week! and that was just a racing game/rally game.

so lets go with some numbers!

2.5.2008 01:03 #3

muccione

I HAVE both copies(360 and PS3) I think that the PS3 is much better...The 360 looks more cartoon-ish to me...Load times seem the same and I get no sluggish feel for either one....The game play is a bit diff too...You can't move the camera around on the 360 like you can on the PS3....My HDTV is only 720p so I have no clue about the 1080p thing...Just my $.02

2.5.2008 02:17 #4

nobrainer

If this is the cost of games now, you can kiss goodbye to exclusives. other than the rubbish, short, not worth �10, 3rd party titles, and hardware branded sequels.

Originally posted by muccione: I HAVE both copies(360 and PS3) I think that the PS3 is much better...The 360 looks more cartoon-ish to me...Load times seem the same and I get no sluggish feel for either one....The game play is a bit diff too...You can't move the camera around on the 360 like you can on the PS3....My HDTV is only 720p so I have no clue about the 1080p thing...Just my $.02that seems a bit weird as the PS3 has a lower resolution that the 360, the PS3 is only in 640, while the xbox360 is 720p HD.

The BPI Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, EMI.
The RIAA Soundexchange Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, EMI.
The IFPI Are: The same anti consumer lot as listed above!
The MPAA Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, DISNEY, PARAMOUNT, FOX.

2.5.2008 02:41 #5

sam1dog

Anyone know the breakdown on a $60 game.

How much does Rockstar get for every game sold compared to retailers?

2.5.2008 04:51 #6

rainofire

Quote:If this is the cost of games now, you can kiss goodbye to exclusives. other than the rubbish, short, not worth �10, 3rd party titles, and hardware branded sequels.

Originally posted by muccione: I HAVE both copies(360 and PS3) I think that the PS3 is much better...The 360 looks more cartoon-ish to me...Load times seem the same and I get no sluggish feel for either one....The game play is a bit diff too...You can't move the camera around on the 360 like you can on the PS3....My HDTV is only 720p so I have no clue about the 1080p thing...Just my $.02that seems a bit weird as the PS3 has a lower resolution that the 360, the PS3 is only in 640, while the xbox360 is 720p HD.
Where did you hear/read that? The box on the ps3 shows 720p, 1080i and 1080p. I haven't seen it on the 1080's but it works good on the 720p TVs.

2.5.2008 07:43 #7

nobrainer

well rainofire.

http://www.gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=181308

Originally posted by gamepro:
PlayStation 3 version only: Resolution, online issues hamper GTA IV experience

Maybe there IS a difference after all: Reports confirm online issues and less-than-HD 640p resolution for the PS3 version of Grand Theft Auto IV.
When it isn't locking up your system with inexcusable game-ending glitches, Grand Theft Auto IV, for all intents and purposes, has delivered as advertised.

That is, if you're playing the Xbox 360 version.

Confirmed reports today have laid two additional issues at the feet of the PS3 version of GTA IV. These issues include inaccessible online play and a less-than-true-HD 640p resolution.

Sony is aware of the online problems, read a post over at Kotaku, but Rockstar so far has not responded to their inquiries. The GTA IV servers are hosted by Gamespy.

As for the resolution issue, several outlets have confirmed the PS3 version runs at 640p, compared to the Xbox 360's HD 720p. Before you go stringing up Sony and Rockstar for the gaff, however, remember that Halo 3 experienced the same un-HD treatment when it launched in 2007.

2.5.2008 08:18 #8

pensfan12

Quote:Original Story: As is the case with many anticipated launches, reports are spreading across the internet that Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3, X360) players are experiencing system freezes across both editions, with its introductory sequence said to be especially prone to lockups.

Judging from the reports, it seems that the 60GB model of the PlayStation 3 is most affected by the issue, with NeoGAF poster Marty Chin offering his observation that "trying the same disc on another model often results in it working."

While developer Rockstar has yet to make any official statement regarding the issue, a support representative told Kotaku that the company is well aware of the complaints and working on a fix, though it is not yet sure what is causing the problems.

Though the Shacknews staff and our readers have put multiple hours into both versions, we have yet to experience any system freezes or notice any claims of such problems in our dedicated chat thread, though complaints are beginning to surface in this article's comments.

Update: The Shacknews staff can now assert that it has experienced several lockups on multiple Xbox 360 consoles while trying to exit the game's multiplayer component.
shacknews.com
Just to clear things up, BOTH consoles are having troubles with the game.
Google it for more reports on both.

2.5.2008 10:19 #9

fgamer

Well as you can see piracy is no where near a problem for consoles. That is an insane amount of money Rockstar will make in 7days. Not to mention when all is said and done they will have made a fortune from this game. Quite amazing that if you put the time and money into a game just how successfull it can be. Who would've thought a game such as GTA on it's fourth installment would still breaking records and revolutionizing the industry!

2.5.2008 11:01 #10

nobrainer

Quote:
Just to clear things up, BOTH consoles are having troubles with the game.
Google it for more reports on both.yes there are reported issues on the 360 forums of users having issues on m$ console, just no OFFICIAL reports yet as far as i'm aware.

BTW, the ps3 still has a resolution of 640 and the xbox is still 720p HD.

2.5.2008 11:07 #11

bdoggie08

doesn't matter-still a great game-despite M$ defaulty console problems that have been happening..RROD...my 60 Gig PS3 is still running, no problems, I love it-worth the $$. You pay for what you get. Quality.

2.5.2008 11:23 #12

SDF_GR

With $100 million budget this issues are beyond excuse for rockstar cause this is a rockstar issue, Sony+MS have nothing to do with it.

2.5.2008 12:52 #13

wetsparks

Originally posted by PetahG: the gaming industry makes sooooo much money...its unbelievable..it cost them 100 mil to make but they will get about 1.5 in profit at least. Its crazy, and this is why I think downloading is pefectly ok.they probably could have just put that 100 million in the bank and let it sit there for 3 and a half years and made 1.5 their money back, it isn't very good. And 100 million is huge for a game and the only reason R* was able to do it and have confidence that it wouldn't bankrupt them is that they knew the game would sell 10 million plus (which it will easily sell half that in the first week alone). They also know that they can build off that investment and put out two more GTA games this gen like they did with Vice City and San Andreas last gen. Smaller third parties will hesitate to break a $15 million dollar budget and still have to hope to sell over a million copies to get a good return on their money.

2.5.2008 16:14 #14

ZippyDSM

Originally posted by fgamer: Well as you can see piracy is no where near a problem for consoles. That is an insane amount of money Rockstar will make in 7days. Not to mention when all is said and done they will have made a fortune from this game. Quite amazing that if you put the time and money into a game just how successfull it can be. Who would've thought a game such as GTA on it's fourth installment would still breaking records and revolutionizing the industry!ya no piracy issues here...because the 360 a instant pirate device with a soft mod and no waiting for any new new game EVER..........

2.5.2008 16:56 #15

muccione

Quote:Originally posted by fgamer: Well as you can see piracy is no where near a problem for consoles. That is an insane amount of money Rockstar will make in 7days. Not to mention when all is said and done they will have made a fortune from this game. Quite amazing that if you put the time and money into a game just how successfull it can be. Who would've thought a game such as GTA on it's fourth installment would still breaking records and revolutionizing the industry!ya no piracy issues here...because the 360 a instant pirate device with a soft mod and no waiting for any new new game EVER..........Why do you come here? You will never own this game, you will never play this game ....so why read this post about it...something you can put down...let it go man...find a G/F get some action.....have some good things to say...with first hand experience...Put down the Atari 2600 controller and move into the 21st century....The HD gaming is great....

2.5.2008 17:25 #16

bdoggie08

ya no piracy issues here...because the 360 a instant pirate device with a soft mod and no waiting for any new new game EVER..........Why do you come here? You will never own this game, you will never play this game ....so why read this post about it...something you can put down...let it go man...find a G/F get some action.....have some good things to say...with first hand experience...Put down the Atari 2600 controller and move into the 21st century....The HD gaming is great....
dude..you have no room to talk.

2.5.2008 17:51 #17

ZippyDSM

muccione
It�s nice to you bring in your dislike of my tastes rather than comment on the comment I made in the thread... but since I have a insane since of humor I will counter what you said

Girlfriend =I am ugly disabled and poor, right there pretty much is most of the reason females dislike me, lets add to it I dislike people and have issues with crowds,I don;t get out...and well...I have never dated in my 30 odd years of life I do have the ability to date I live in the boonies and well..Dating and relations are over rated I don�t buy into it at least not when I have nothing to bring to a relationship, besides I am too old for jail bait and anyone whose dealt with men before don�t want another pet�so no thanks you want to get your kicks playing around go right head get one for me..

Distractions=I do have projects that keep me busy working on getting a domain and web space for me to run a site, currently have a few pages going even if youtube hosed my old account I have a new one
http://www.youtube.com/user/Zippydsmlee
have 2 mod vids up right now might put up the other 10 or so later.
Here are the rest
http://www.moddb.com/members/148900/zippydsmlee
http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/
And I am most proud of my book project chap 2 is 16 pages long and will be up in a month or 2..once I read over it and polish it up as much as my ass can.
http://zippydsm.deviantart.com/art/Zippy-Book-prolouge-77989827
Even my fan lyrics I enjoy even if the muses never want to work on new ones�.

Now as for experience I been playing games since before 96, the mid and later 90s is when quality in FPSs and even RPGs was at its best statistically speaking. Or shall I compare Dues ex 1 and 2, or even SS2 and BS or how about BS to dark messiah, I always find it funny that drooling sheeple do not care for the missing nuances games have lost in their mechanics over the years, heres a clue the AI in biohsock is less robust than in dues ex and even a few other games of the early 2000�s hell Jericho�s has the worst AI in a new hot title in almost a decade,how about Final "I AM TREND" fantasy, FF4/6 to FF7 to to FF8 to FF10 a mostly downwards sliding scale in game mechanics while 12 got level design right they raped skills to the point its a broken mash of a system and the equipment system is bland and handicapped making the game just boring to play EVEN DQ 8 has issues with not having enough equipment and skills and dragging out levels (but even so tis one of the better newer RPGs I have played), Halo 1 was the last well done FPS I can think of H2 and H3 get meeker and more simplistic with each go, oh wait HL2 was ok, the eps are nice filler it makes the OB worth getting but steam is bloated spy wear so I be supporting it new, Quake 4 was bearable but a corridor shooter with wider corridors is the best thing I can say about it..oh ya Dark watch was a fun lil shooter nothing great but fun OW:Strangers wrath is ok too�mmmmm. Oh ya dark messiah not quite a shooter but because ubisoft bought it out and made them change arx fatalis 2 into M&M fodder the game has a casual bent but everything but the dialog was nice its AI is a ton more advanced than BSs 2 tone AI.

Just for the recorded I have had a PS3 and 360, I sold them off as so I could focus on the PC and the PS3 was a time share deal the easy break oven was nice but after failures I let my friend have at it, I have gotten to borrow a wii for a few months all it needs it more gamer focused games, dislike the fact theres no config options for control..just think if they had more than zombie casuals in mind they could have made it where you could remap the buttons and movements to anything so you can fully use a pad or use the wilmote and NC on GC and VC games but the mindless focus they won�t use it they won�t need it and over protectiveness of add on sales its just a loss I see for gamers..

I am sorry if your sheeple ears cannot handle the truth or anything that questions the stability of your lil world I know I have issues with this sometimes.. but then again I am just a black sheeple game nazi who only cares about games being their best and consumers having rights who cares if the industry is lying to and raping the sheeple they are having fun you can�t beat and abuse the willing right..RIGHT?

BW call me an arse when I am an arse and I will agree with you =^^=*lick*

2.5.2008 18:37 #18

muccione

Originally posted by ZippyDSM: muccione
It�s nice to you bring in your dislike of my tastes rather than comment on the comment I made in the thread... but since I have a insane since of humor I will counter what you said

Girlfriend =I am ugly disabled and poor, right there pretty much is most of the reason females dislike me, lets add to it I dislike people and have issues with crowds,I don;t get out...and well...I have never dated in my 30 odd years of life I do have the ability to date I live in the boonies and well..Dating and relations are over rated I don�t buy into it at least not when I have nothing to bring to a relationship, besides I am too old for jail bait and anyone whose dealt with men before don�t want another pet�so no thanks you want to get your kicks playing around go right head get one for me..

Distractions=I do have projects that keep me busy working on getting a domain and web space for me to run a site, currently have a few pages going even if youtube hosed my old account I have a new one
http://www.youtube.com/user/Zippydsmlee
have 2 mod vids up right now might put up the other 10 or so later.
Here are the rest
http://www.moddb.com/members/148900/zippydsmlee
http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/
And I am most proud of my book project chap 2 is 16 pages long and will be up in a month or 2..once I read over it and polish it up as much as my ass can.
http://zippydsm.deviantart.com/art/Zippy-Book-prolouge-77989827
Even my fan lyrics I enjoy even if the muses never want to work on new ones�.

Now as for experience I been playing games since before 96, the mid and later 90s is when quality in FPSs and even RPGs was at its best statistically speaking. Or shall I compare Dues ex 1 and 2, or even SS2 and BS or how about BS to dark messiah, I always find it funny that drooling sheeple do not care for the missing nuances games have lost in their mechanics over the years, heres a clue the AI in biohsock is less robust than in dues ex and even a few other games of the early 2000�s hell Jericho�s has the worst AI in a new hot title in almost a decade,how about Final "I AM TREND" fantasy, FF4/6 to FF7 to to FF8 to FF10 a mostly downwards sliding scale in game mechanics while 12 got level design right they raped skills to the point its a broken mash of a system and the equipment system is bland and handicapped making the game just boring to play EVEN DQ 8 has issues with not having enough equipment and skills and dragging out levels (but even so tis one of the better newer RPGs I have played), Halo 1 was the last well done FPS I can think of H2 and H3 get meeker and more simplistic with each go, oh wait HL2 was ok, the eps are nice filler it makes the OB worth getting but steam is bloated spy wear so I be supporting it new, Quake 4 was bearable but a corridor shooter with wider corridors is the best thing I can say about it..oh ya Dark watch was a fun lil shooter nothing great but fun OW:Strangers wrath is ok too�mmmmm. Oh ya dark messiah not quite a shooter but because ubisoft bought it out and made them change arx fatalis 2 into M&M fodder the game has a casual bent but everything but the dialog was nice its AI is a ton more advanced than BSs 2 tone AI.

Just for the recorded I have had a PS3 and 360, I sold them off as so I could focus on the PC and the PS3 was a time share deal the easy break oven was nice but after failures I let my friend have at it, I have gotten to borrow a wii for a few months all it needs it more gamer focused games, dislike the fact theres no config options for control..just think if they had more than zombie casuals in mind they could have made it where you could remap the buttons and movements to anything so you can fully use a pad or use the wilmote and NC on GC and VC games but the mindless focus they won�t use it they won�t need it and over protectiveness of add on sales its just a loss I see for gamers..

I am sorry if your sheeple ears cannot handle the truth or anything that questions the stability of your lil world I know I have issues with this sometimes.. but then again I am just a black sheeple game nazi who only cares about games being their best and consumers having rights who cares if the industry is lying to and raping the sheeple they are having fun you can�t beat and abuse the willing right..RIGHT?

BW call me an arse when I am an arse and I will agree with you =^^=*lick*ok this is what I have to say....http://www.jemjabella.co.uk/junk/tinyviolin.jpg

2.5.2008 19:02 #19

ZippyDSM

muccione
can you edit that so its a link text and not a screen stretching link, I forget theres a link button.

As for the link itself I guess we can agree to just kiss each others arse =^^=

2.5.2008 19:38 #20

wetsparks

Originally posted by ZippyDSM: ...is there a point somewhere in here? besides I hate new games? or is this another of your ramblings that you have taken to lately?

God hates console fan boys.
http://cad-comic.com/comic.php?d=20050205
-----
May the way of the hero lead to the Triforce.

3.5.2008 01:12 #21

ZippyDSM

Quote:Originally posted by ZippyDSM: ...is there a point somewhere in here? besides I hate new games? or is this another of your ramblings that you have taken to lately?
Yes my point is I will quality their direction limited quality EVERY time, unless they actulty try to put effort into a project.

Of coarse sheeple like you are happy drooling on the cost shiny thing, I'd like the shiny thing to offer a bit more than shallow glitter, but of coarse god forbid you get in front of sheep they will trample your arse down :P

3.5.2008 11:40 #22

chubbyInc

Great game, it does look better on the 360, but their are games which look better on the PS3. I've got a 52" 1080p Samsung. Some games look better on 360 eg. GTAIV & Rainbow Six Vegas 2, but CoD4 looks awesome on PS3 and can't wait for MGS4. Wii though it is lacking the major graphics, it makes up for in fun game play, Mario Kart Wii is an awesomely fun game.

$100 million to make GTAIV, They are just setting a new standard for games, if more game developers invested time and money like Take-Two has then there would be more great hit games out there.

4.5.2008 12:32 #23

wetsparks

Quote:Quote:Originally posted by ZippyDSM: ...is there a point somewhere in here? besides I hate new games? or is this another of your ramblings that you have taken to lately?
Yes my point is I will quality their direction limited quality EVERY time, unless they actulty try to put effort into a project.

Of coarse sheeple like you are happy drooling on the cost shiny thing, I'd like the shiny thing to offer a bit more than shallow glitter, but of coarse god forbid you get in front of sheep they will trample your arse down :Pwhich is why I have bought 2 games for my Wii and don't have a 360 or ps3. I know that there are a lot of "mainstream" games coming out right now, but think about it. These mainstream games to make a profit needs upwards of 1 million copies to sell, and the PS3 is around 11-12 million consoles sold and the 360 is around 18 million consoles sold and the Wii is at around 24 million. Companies needs these "mainstream" games because they need their games to appeal to as many people in such a (relatively) small sample as possible or else they go out of business. If you want your out of the ordinary games, wait 2 years and get a Wii, by then it will be at around 80 million consoles and these developers will only need to make a game that appeals to 1 in 80 people instead of 1 in 15 to turn a profit.

5.5.2008 03:44 #24

ZippyDSM

wetsparks
Good for them it dsoen't mean they have to subvert quality for it and I will call BS or question lacking details fo a game, half the time tis more fun to do list whats wrong with a game and how to fix it than playing it, thats how bad some games are.

5.5.2008 03:51 #25

wetsparks

then don't buy those games. quite frankly I have come to the conclusion that it isn't worth my effort to argue with you about this any more. You don't like new games, and listening to you complain about it is annoying but I just don't care anymore.

6.5.2008 00:46 #26

nobrainer

Originally posted by wetsparks: then don't buy those games. quite frankly I have come to the conclusion that it isn't worth my effort to argue with you about this any more. You don't like new games, and listening to you complain about it is annoying but I just don't care anymore.i think zippy is trying to get ppl to "think" about games instead of just purchasing the latest, Marketing Spam Game that is just eye candy and not much more!

if you can't understand that, well......

6.5.2008 03:12 #27

solarf

Originally posted by muccione: I HAVE both copies(360 and PS3) I think that the PS3 is much better...The 360 looks more cartoon-ish to me...Load times seem the same and I get no sluggish feel for either one....The game play is a bit diff too...You can't move the camera around on the 360 like you can on the PS3....My HDTV is only 720p so I have no clue about the 1080p thing...Just my $.02 Why would you buy two copies? sounds fishy ... However if the game cost so much why do the character models look so lame.. I bought it for the 360 anyway and it is fun. But the characters could of looked better.

11.5.2008 22:05 #28

bdoggie08

Quote:Originally posted by muccione: I HAVE both copies(360 and PS3) I think that the PS3 is much better...The 360 looks more cartoon-ish to me...Load times seem the same and I get no sluggish feel for either one....The game play is a bit diff too...You can't move the camera around on the 360 like you can on the PS3....My HDTV is only 720p so I have no clue about the 1080p thing...Just my $.02 Why would you buy two copies? sounds fishy ... However if the game cost so much why do the character models look so lame.. I bought it for the 360 anyway and it is fun. But the characters could of looked better.
b/c it took like 3 years to make. The graphics engine that they used was not that far into the future.

12.5.2008 10:54 #29

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