Sony details whopping figure it takes to develop Call of Duty games

Activision has certainly racked up quite a fat stack of cash off the backs of Call of Duty and its avid player base, with countless titles being squeezed out over the years and endless bundles and seasonal passes leading to microtransaction mayhem. But what does it actually cost Activision to make a Call of Duty game?

Modern Warfare 2 comes as the 47th game or DLC released in the Call of Duty franchise (the 19th game in the main series), and has already squeezed out over $1billion worth of sales in its opening month of release.

But Activision's recent tussle with the laws, amid the Microsoft takeover, has now put the Call of Duty franchise and its finances under the microscope, and developer rivals sony has now revealed how much it costs to make a CoD title.

Sony reveals how much it costs to make Call of Duty games

With investigations launched into Microsoft and Activision's merger, centring around Call of Duty, the CMA has now released Sony's statement outlining why the merger would be a threat to the industry, and they've revealed a lot about the monetary value of CoD.

According to Sony, the Call of Duty franchise is "unique among AAA games because of its popularity, loyalty, and the enormous resources Activision commits to developing the franchise."

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The PlayStation devs then claimed that it takes a huge $300 million to make a Call of Duty game in the recent era, which is more than the likes of Grand Theft Auto V, Battlefield 2042, Halo Infinite, and Destiny.

Call of Duty games take '3-5 Years' to make

While arguing the case as to why Microsoft's acquisition of Activision, and exclusivity over Call of Duty, would lead to monopolisation in gaming, Sony also claimed that it takes 3-5 years for a title to be developed.

This comes as quite a stark statement, considering that Sledgehammer Games were only given a year to get Vanguard spun out, albeit with Treyarch's help. Maybe this is why the title flopped on the market.

Yet it might give Call of Duty fans optimism, insinuating that Treyarch's work on the Iraq-based 2024 game is underway and even tipping a hat to the rumours that Sledgehammer is making an Advanced Warfare 2 title made for 2025/26...