How player-funded development launched a multiplayer game of galactic proportions – and costs – in Star Citizen

How much does it cost to make a video game? The development expenses of blockbuster games are closely guarded business secrets, but they have been climbing ever higher over the years towards big Hollywood-style spending.

Industry leaks have exposed how the budgets of major video games are spiralling upwards: $100m, or $200m, even more. One of the bestselling franchises, Call of Duty, saw costs balloon to $700m (£573m), a number only revealed recently when a reporter dug into court filings.