As professional sports franchises invest heavily in improvement initiatives, a concerning trend emerges: bloated budgets straining the industry’s financial sustainability. The repercussions continue to unfold, with each passing day bringing fresh evidence of this escalating issue. Notably, the behemoth of gaming industry has been unveiled to boast some of the sector’s biggest and most staggering financial investments.
According to a report by Sport File, details about financial support funds for three titles within the Call of Duty franchise were publicly disclosed by Activision’s Patrick Kelly, the franchise’s head of artistic, through official court filings in December. As of 2020, the fund’s overall performance showed significant growth, exceeding $700 million in total value, with 2019’s reboot boasting a substantial return of over $640 million and 2015’s initial investment standing at over $450 million.
According to Kelly’s submission, the provided figures encompass “improvement rates over the game’s lifecycle” for each title, implying that costs associated with developing each game’s post-launch content are also factored in.
Notably, these numbers only account for development expenses; marketing expenditures, typically on par with those of AAA titles, particularly in the case of a major IP like that mentioned, will undoubtedly push the overall budget significantly higher for the three titles in question. Three additional titles have sold exceptionally well, according to figures reported by Kelly in her filing.
This investment tops the list of highest sports development expenditures. Despite this scarcity, it’s worth noting that data on this topic is notoriously hard to come by, as builders and publishers consistently resist revealing relevant figures. While notable examples abound, recent instances are largely limited to games such as and others; however, the newly disclosed statistics for put this shooter series in a league of its own.