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[GravityMan]

$100 million on marketing...and I doubt your average CASUAL gamer has even heard of BioShock Infinite...and most of those who have, don't have any interest in it. The game, no matter how great it is, simply does not have mass market appeal. It makes sense to spend a crapload of $$$ on marketing a Call of Duty, Battlefield, Elder Scrolls or Grand Theft Auto game. Not BioShock Infinite.

The game will need to sell AT LEAST several million to turn a profit. There's a very good chance the sales won't get there.

 

[Vire]

Skyrim did 10m so it is possible this could as well.

Skyrim was much more relatable than Bioshock.

Let's see, typical fantasy action RPG game with pretty graphics and dragons vs. sociopolitical first person shooter with crazy weird monsters and a bizarre world.

Look, I hope it sells as much as Skyrim, but I really don't see it even coming close.

There is absolutely zero chance the budget for this game even approaches 200 million.

Assuming ~$25-$30 per copy sold, they expect to sell 6.7-8 million to break even, not even profit.

Why don't people use their heads before blindly accepting obviously fake numbers.

It's most likely inflated, but with a five year development time with a 200 person staff, it's not THAT unreasonable.

 

[electricpirate]

Yea, analyst cost numbers are often inflated...

 

[Rhazer Fusion]

Wow, this isn't surprising anymore. It seems like budgets keep increasing and increasing. Also, $100 million in marketing? I am still having a hard time believing that game development will not be considerably more expensive next generation.

 

[DaBuddaDa]

Ken Levine just tweeted that the 200 million number is not true.

 

[Kifimbo]

Ken Levine ‏@IGLevine 1m

200 million for Infinite? Did someone send some checks to the wrong address? #unnamedanalyst

.

 

[LiK]

https://twitter.com/IGLevine/status/314909899295444992

 

[Zen_Arcade]

$100 million on marketing...and I doubt your average CASUAL gamer has even heard of BioShock Infinite...and most of those who have, don't have any interest in it. The game, no matter how great it is, simply does not have mass market appeal. It makes sense to spend a crapload of $$$ on marketing a Call of Duty, Battlefield, Elder Scrolls or Grand Theft Auto game. Not BioShock Infinite.

The game will need to sell AT LEAST several million to turn a profit. There's a very good chance the sales won't get there.

Bioshock sold over 4 million copies. And the entire point of advertising is to get those casual gamers who don't know about Bioshock aware of Bioshock.

 

[frankie_baby]

There is absolutely zero chance the budget for this game even approaches 200 million.

Assuming ~$25-$30 per copy sold, they expect to sell 6.7-8 million to break even, not even profit.

Why don't people use their heads before blindly accepting obviously fake numbers.

well i'm sure they didnt expect it to be that much money when they started, sometimes however so much money has been spent that you have to throw even more money at something just to give yourself a chance of getting some of the money back

 

[Vire]

https://twitter.com/IGLevine/status/314909899295444992

Thank god...

That would have been real bad.

 

[Kareha]

There's no chance this game will make back it's budget, as good a game it may be.

 

[UrbanRats]

How did you get circular logic out of that? There's a line between "ambitious" and "needs to sell over 5m copies to break even"

Whatever you may find "ambitious" is subjective anyway, so i don't even know how to have this conversation.
I'm saying huge projects have failed before, if people continue to put this much money into projects, it means they don't really care.

When they will stop pouring 200$ for a project, they won't be going over that line anymore, but it's not like they'll immediately turn to 10$ millions stuff tops.
Exactly because there's a whole range of stuff between a 10$mln game and a 200$mln one, the crash of a 200$mln game won't be that disastrous in the end (except for those who put out that game).

Ken Levine just tweeted that the 200 million number is not true.

The article mentioned that it was an (unknown) analyst's speculation.

 

[gdt]

First of all this number is from "an anonymous analyst" not a source inside 2K/Irrational. Not saying its wrong, just keep that in mind.

Second....it sounds a bit high sure but the game was in development for a long time, with lots of shit cut out of it. $100M marketing is huge as fuck though. Have 2K/anyone confirmed that marking budget?

 

[Skiesofwonder]

I hope the number isn't even half of $200M because there would be a fat chance of them making a profit worth noting off of this game. No way does this sell over 3 million at full price.

 

[~Kinggi~]

Goddamnit, i play expensive pixels only, preorder canceled. GG Ken

 

[frankie_baby]

https://twitter.com/IGLevine/status/314909899295444992

well i'd trust 'unnamedanalyst' over someone who has a vested interest in his project being seen as a big success

 

[jgmo870]

well i'd trust 'unnamedanalyst' over someone who has a vested interest in his project being seen as a big success

At least trust common sense, then, which points to this game having nowhere near that kind of budget.

 

[gdt]

well i'd trust 'unnamedanalyst' over someone who has a vested interest in his project being seen as a big success

I'm not sure he cares if its seen as a success...rather he cares that it's actually a success. 2K is a public company...if the game bombs we'll know about it.

 

[Vire]

well i'd trust 'unnamedanalyst' over someone who has a vested interest in his project being seen as a big success

 

[Purkake4]

https://twitter.com/IGLevine/status/314909899295444992

Damage control.

 

[Raitosaito]

Do people really believe IGN is moneyhatted?
Yeah, they got terrible writers and make really crap content, but I think this is due to ignorance and pandering to a specific audience. Bad content=/=being paid.

 

[Deleted member 80556]

https://twitter.com/IGLevine/status/314909899295444992

Thank God.

well i'd trust 'unnamedanalyst' over someone who has a vested interest in his project being seen as a big success

...

What would he gain with saying lies about this? Whether or not it cost 200 million, 5 million copies can be seen as a success.

 

[JAY the BIRD]

And I still pay 60. I'm all good.

 

[razgriz417]

At least trust common sense, then, which points to this game having nowhere near that kind of budget.

Didn't SWTOR cost like $200 million or something? How could Bioshock Infinite cost $200mil lol

 

[frankie_baby]

At least trust common sense, then, which points to this game having nowhere near that kind of budget.

while the marketing budget seems a little high (though i've been seeing quite a few tv ads in possibly quite expensive slots lately) $100 million on development doesnt seem too unrealistic at all given the development time

 

[MormaPope]

Honestly, I can see the overall budget for both marketing and development being 75-120 million dollars total, with 40 million towards marketing and 40-70 towards development.

 

[FinFan]

www.preordernow.com...

 

[electricpirate]

I already have XCOM so I won't be preordering at full price.. Will be waiting for some $35~ GMG type deal.

46+ SpecOps+BioShock 1 + xcom right now. I was willing to wait, but the deal was too damn good.


edit : on GMG

 

[Raitosaito]

https://twitter.com/IGLevine/status/314909899295444992

Considering the first few years of development the team was small as hell I can believe Ken.

 

[HK-47]

And developers like CD Prokekt can develop high quality games with a quarter of that budget.

Its easy when you can pay polish wages.

 

[LiK]

The truth is revealed

https://twitter.com/IGLevine/status/314912025161646080

 

[frankie_baby]

Thank God.



...

What would he gain with saying lies about this? Whether or not it cost 200 million, 5 million copies can be seen as a success.

if its perceived he's managesd to lose a publisher a boat load of cash on a game that sells 5 million you dont think his future job prospects will be harmed?

 

[sflufan]

Its easy when you can pay polish wages.

Thank you! I'm getting bloody annoyed at the comparisons to CDPR when there are such substantial differences in the basic economies of the nations in which the respective developers are located.

This is not to slight CDPR in any way though, but at some point people must THINK a little before drawing the comparisons.

 

[bodyofanamerican]

I'm dying here.

Hollander Cooper ‏@HollanderCooper 7m
@IGLevine Rumors are you just built Columbia and filmed the game there.

 

[DizzyCaffeine]

Drunkeness aside, this is how I feel as well.

Yeah, it is a lot of money, but notice how it is going to a game that is trying to push some boundaries. It is the best comparison the gaming industry has to the 160 million budget that Lincoln had.

Except Lincoln cost $65 million to make.

 

[mercenar1e]

so if it bombs in sales i guess we will see discounts ASAP

 

[UrbanRats]

Goddamnit, i play expensive pixels only, preorder canceled. GG Ken

Ken is just doing damage control for IRS, show us the BLING LEVINE!

 

[Scrabble]

$100 million on marketing...and I doubt your average CASUAL gamer has even heard of BioShock Infinite...and most of those who have, don't have any interest in it. The game, no matter how great it is, simply does not have mass market appeal. It makes sense to spend a crapload of $$$ on marketing a Call of Duty, Battlefield, Elder Scrolls or Grand Theft Auto game. Not BioShock Infinite.

The game will need to sell AT LEAST several million to turn a profit. There's a very good chance the sales won't get there.

This just isn't true. I have many friends who I wouldn't call close to being a "hardcore gamer" and there dying to play Infinite. Bioshock has a more mainstream following than I think most people realize.

 

[Hex]

well i'd trust 'unnamedanalyst' over someone who has a vested interest in his project being seen as a big success

You do that.

Damage control.

That must be it, couldn't be him getting the truth out there or anything.

 

[jgmo870]

while the marketing budget seems a little high (though i've been seeing quite a few tv ads in possibly quite expensive slots lately) $100 million on development doesnt seem too unrealistic at all given the development time

The first Bioshock went through similar issues according to Levine and it only cost $15 mil. Do you really think Take-Two is stupid enough to increase the sequel's budget by 550%?

 

[JohnsonUT]

Do we know if there was a full staff for the entire development period? Or do they slowly ramp up as the planning becomes more concrete? 100+ employees for the full period would not make $100 million unreasonable.

 

[frankie_baby]

The first Bioshock went through similar issues according to Levine and it only cost $15 mil. Do you really think Take-Two is stupid enough to increase the sequel's budget by 550%?

take 2 and ridiculous budgets aren't exactly uncommon

 

[Raitosaito]

This just isn't true. I have many friends who I wouldn't call close to being a "hardcore gamer" and there dying to play Infinite. Bioshock has a more mainstream following than I think most people realize.

Anecdotal evidence but I want to believe

 

[Vire]

This just isn't true. I have many friends who I wouldn't call close to being a "hardcore gamer" and there dying to play Infinite. Bioshock has a more mainstream following than I think most people realize.

Not that this should be used as a barometer for levels of excitement, but it being #4 on IGN's top games coming soon (sorted by page hits if I'm not mistaken) when they've been pushing out article after article on Infinite is a little strange if not worrisome for 2k...

 

[Syrinx]

Not that this should be used as a barometer for levels of excitement, but it being #4 on IGN's top games coming soon (sorted by page hits if I'm not mistaken) when they've been pushing out article after article on Infinite is a little strange if not worrisome for 2k...

They need to update their list. Or maybe they're pretending RE6 never came out?

Edit: Wait, is March 22 the PC release date?

 

[bodyofanamerican]

Anecdotal evidence but I want to believe

I have a bit on my end too. It's on the same level as AC3 and Red Dead for my casual friends as far as games they absolutely MUST play. I have super casual friends who only have Wii that are pissed they can't play it. I really think the Americana vibe and just overall uniqueness of it is gonna drive a lot of interest. I can see people being like "oh, the old school America game, right?"

 

[RoboPlato]

Not that this should be used as a barometer for levels of excitement, but it being #4 on IGN's top games coming soon (sorted by page hits if I'm not mistaken) when they've been pushing out article after article on Infinite is a little strange if not worrisome for 2k...

I have no idea how Injustice and RE6 would even be on that list.

 

[Vire]

They need to update their list. Or maybe they're pretending RE6 never came out?

Edit: Wait, is March 22 the PC release date?

Yes.

I have no idea how Injustice and RE6 would even be on that list.

No idea how they would be above, maybe someone from IGN can clarify.

 

[RiccochetJ]

What if the unnamed analyst is in fact...

Michael Pachter?

*Gasp*

 

[Zoramon089]

I'm not saying that's not a valid discussion to have, but considering that nobody here has played Infinite yet, it just comes across as pointless sniping. Until we see 1. how Infinite actually turns out and 2. what its returns are like, starting a budget vs. quality pissing contest is futile.

Ehh, I'm not entirely sure that would change anything. The point is, objectively, it's hard to justify spending $200 million on a game period. That just reeks of wastefulness and mismanagement and, considering the stories we've heard about the development, that probably was the case.

I'm sure the game will be amazing but, when equally compelling games have come out at an order of magnitude less to develop, some serious questions need to be asked and answered

Of course it's an analyst's take so who knows if he's even close to being right