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[ugoo18]

http://www.videogamer.com/xbox360/d...hq_50m_to_develop_says_nordic_games_boss.html

According to Nordic Games owner Lars Wingefors

"THQ spent $50m making Darksiders 2. We can produce a product of the same quality but for a lower cost. $50m is ridiculous, I can't afford that."

50 million.... 0_0 what

 

[BY2K]

That seems really high.

 

[T-0800]

How?

 

[CengizMan]

How long was this game in development?

 

[StuBurns]

Including marketing or no? That's absurd for production.

 

[Kyou]

How many people worked on it?

 

[BPoole]

That is crazy. It really enjoyed it but it didn't feel like it cost $50m to make

 

[guitarhero]

I think a breakdown would be useful. How much of that was actual development (paying coders/artists) and how much was for things like marketing?

 

[Plinko]

If I had water in my mouth, I would have spit it all over my screen.

 

[Pudge]

No wonder THQ went under if they were throwing money around like that. I mean, I admire how much they got behind that game, it really was the only thing that could have saved them. But at the same time, that is a WHOLE lot of money to spend on that one game.

 

[Cheddahz]

...what?

 

[Averon]

Jeez. What did they spend on?

Is this a sign of bad financial management or a sign of how out of control AAA budget has become? Or maybe a combination of both?

Edit: Yeah, I'd like to how much marketing cost is factored into this number.

 

[Hades Hotgun]

Perhaps that includes marketing? Did that game get a big advertising push?

I am glad they are approaching things from a responsible financial viewpoint. They don't need to spend a ton on Darksiders 3 or Red Faction Guerrilla 2, they just need to make them good.

 

[Die Squirrel Die]

I wonder if that includes marketing? I remember THQ going big on marketing this in the hopes it would push it over the AAA edge.

 

[Mauricio_Magus]

What did they spend it on?

I actually kinda enjoyed the game but it's not a 50 million game, holy crap.

 

[Q8D3vil]

Give it to platinum and they will make a better game with probably 30% of that budget.

 

[mgc093]

what?

 

[AzureSkies]

I'm very confused. I assumed the game suffered from a small budget, and that's why it was designed badly in so many areas.

I guess they were just terrible decisions.

 

[MKP64]

must have been all those damn fetch quest

 

[TouchMyBox]

That's the budget of a video game from a big western publisher, all right.

 

[Kai Dracon]

Given that the game is kind of a mess and feels like conflicting design goals all crashed together, I'd wager that aside from marketing, it was pure bloat.

Perhaps Vigil was given a big check and told to "make it epic".

 

[Manmademan]

That's insane. I like the game, but it shouldn't have run even half that amount

 

[HeartlessNobody213]

Damn, $50?! Definitely didn't seem like it.

 

[jbug617]

does marketing count in that $50 million? I remember they were send out min tombstones to gaming sites. That probably cost some money for that.

 

[ugoo18]

How long was this game in development?

Wrath of War came out in 2010 and DS2 came out in 2012 so i'd guess at the most 3 years if they started while DS1 was still being created. If not then 2 years at the most?

 

[BrunoM]

I think a breakdown would be useful. How much of that was actual development (paying coders/artists) and how much was for things like marketing?

Sadly the biggest past of that money ( and for that most games that are made ) is not got the people that make all the magic happen for us is for people sitting in office marketing teams and so on ..

No coders/designers/artists

 

[Lomax]

And if it had sold 10 million copies, that would seem like a bargain. Of course, anyone could have told them it wouldn't sell 10 million copies, and if they had made it for 20 million instead, the sales it got would have been a solid success. The thing that killed THQ is exactly what is killing countless studios, an inability to see anything other than microprojects and mega-blockbusters.

 

[SwiftDeath]

Sounds a bit high but not entirely out of place for a big western publisher

 

[PaladinXII]

I was told $25M by a highly placed source involved with the game's development. This was April 2013: http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/...n-and-other-ips-acquired-by-nordic-games.aspx

 

[sn00zer]

My assumption had always been that Darksider 2 started with a large budget as a last ditch effort by THQ. Thus Vigil planned the game in a way that would use this budget to the fullest by including huge worlds and such. But as THQ started getting in deeper trouble they began pushing Vigil to finish this huge game in a shorter amount of time, thus leaving most of the content either on the cutting room floor or left half finished. So Vigil then polished what they could, leaving the first areas incredibly well done, but later areas seeming more and more cut down.

Either way, love the game, but DS2 problems always seemed to stem from unfinishedness rather than core mechanics or art.

 

[Radec]

Give it to platinum and they will make a better game with probably 30% of that budget.

And also sell only 30% of D2.

 

[EatinOlives]

50 million and there were still two extremely rushed worlds, out of four.

I really liked the game but holy shit, what the hell happened with that budget?

 

[ugoo18]

No idea if that includes marketing or not, however correct me if im wrong but the Nordic Games owner did state 50 mil to make the game so i don't think it includes marketing.

 

[SolidSnakex]

Damn, $50?! Definitely didn't seem like it.

Well, it's THQ. The same company that managed to spend 35-50m making Homefront. And that's purely on developing the game. They apparently put tens of millions more into marketing it.

 

[HK-47]

Give it to platinum and they will make a better game with probably 30% of that budget.

Combat was not Darksiders problem and thats the reason I'd want Platinum on a game.

 

[speculawyer]

I'm not surprised THQ went under.

 

[Canis lupus]

Well, it's THQ. The same company that managed to spend 35-50m making Homefront. And that's purely on developing the game. They apparently put tens of millions more into marketing it.

How did they manage to make such expensive games that look and play like they cost 1/10th of the budget.

 

[ViewtifulJC]

How did they manage to make such expensive games that look and play like they cost 1/10th of the budget.

what they don't tell you is half that money is spent on around the clock Domino's Pizza and new cars for everyone in the office

 

[James Scott]

Doesn't DS2 reuse the same engine/some assets from the first game? How can you blow 50 million on a sequel like that?

 

[CypherSignal]

2.5 years of development times $10,000 per person-month of development times 150 people working on it (that's a fairly long credits list...over 150 people listed as Vigil Studio guys alone) comes out to $45M. That $50M can easily exclude any marketing costs whatsoever.

 

[Courage]

Did Darksiders 2 even get any worthwhile marketing? What the fuck did they spend $50 mil for?

2.5 years of development times $10,000 per person-month of development times 150 people working on it (that's a fairly long credits list...over 150 people listed as Vigil Studio guys alone) comes out to $45M. That $50M can easily exclude any marketing costs whatsoever.

All 150 people worked on the game??? Even with your high-ball estimates, it's a little too much.

 

[sn00zer]

Combat was not Darksiders problem and thats the reason I'd want Platinum on a game.

Bro fist....I really wonder what tragic is up to...he was lead combat designer on DS2

 

[BrunoM]

what they don't tell you is half that money is spent on around the clock Domino's Pizza and new cars for everyone in the office

If just ...
But sadly not every one the joe who makes the game run coding day and night probably got a slice of pizza and that's about it same goes for the rest of the people who make games actually run and go

 

[Shard]

Yea. call this the reason why Darksiders 2 needed to sell 3 million copies to break even and why THQ is now in the dirt.

 

[fedexpeon]

The game felt like a really low budget game.
But dang, 50M...

 

[jett]

That's an insane figure.

 

[Roo]

Funny enough, the guy from Nordic Games bought the IP for 5 million

 

[SolidSnakex]

How did they manage to make such expensive games that look and play like they cost 1/10th of the budget.

All I can say is that it's THQ. They also thought it was a good idea to make uDraw for the PS3 and 360 and to create a bunch of pads for it that just ended up clogging their wearhouse because the game tanked on those consoles. To say they were badly managed during the last gen would be a major understatement.

 

[CypherSignal]

All 150 people worked on the game??? Even with your high-ball estimates, it's a little too much.

I actually low-balled it a bit. There's nearly 200 names listed under Vigil stuff, without digging into Special Thanks. Or all of the contracting work, and publisher operations.

 

[969]

Give it to platinum and they will make a better game with probably 30% of that budget.

No, please don't.

Also even though i liked the game immensly, that is an absurd ammount.

How much did VO, and hiring Jesper Kyd for the soundtrack cost?