Support NeoGAF

[Eddie-Griffin]

https://www.gamesradar.com/the-saints-row-reboot-reportedly-cost-over-dollar100-million-to-make/

It looks like Embracer is still feeling the financial sting


It looks like the Saints Row reboot ended up costing its parent company over $100 million, according to one source.


A fan account dedicated to covering Deep Silver Volition's parent company Embracer Group has been going through the Swedish entertainment conglomerate's latest financial report. The factoid around Saints Row was flagged(opens in new tab) by the user alongside what was officially presented, which is that the company's PC and console segment is still feeling the sting of under-performing releases from earlier in the financial year.

Aside from saying the cost is a "well-known fact behind the scenes", they also point to publicly available financial data that shows the "value of completed games in the July-September quarter" being SEK 1671 million (roughly $ 160 million). The Saints Row reboot was one of few notable releases for the period, so the user believes "it's not that bold a statement".

As we previously reported, Embracer Group CEO Lars Wingefors acknowledged the poor reception to the Saints Row reboot following a rocky launch. At the time, he hoped ongoing bug fixes and content updates would turn the game's financial future into a rosier one.

Well if true, Embracer has a money management issue because I don't see where that $100 million, if true, actually went into.

If so, Saints Row would need to sell quite a bit to recoup, which isn't including the costs to keep the game maintained with flowing with content.

 

[danklord]

 

[diffusionx]

Yes, this is how much games cost these days. People keep saying this over and over yet others do not believe it. Games are really, really expensive to make. A bad game, like a bad movie, takes the same amount of effort and cost as a good game.

 

[VolticArchangel]

Volition is based in Illinois, right?

What's the median income in tech/software development there? Also, how much of this was for marketing?

 

[NeoGiffer]

 

[Ozriel]

Just so you know, there’s no real guarantee that that figure is correct. It’s a fan making a ‘best judgement’ guess based on total expenses over a particular period. Also no telling whether this figure includes marketing.

 

[mckmas8808]

Just so you know, there’s no real guarantee that that figure is correct. It’s a fan making a ‘best judgement’ guess based on total expenses over a particular period. Also no telling whether this figure includes marketing.

So we can't believe this then. UGH.

 

[Spyxos]

 

[Ozriel]

So we can't believe this then. UGH.

I’d say so. He was asked on Twitter and - just like the article says - he said it’s ‘well known behind the scenes’. It’s not like the numbers were officially released.

That said, Volition has 230+ employees, so if it cost $100m to make Saints row, it would mean a crazy budget for Assassins creed games made by Ubisoft Montreal’s thousands of developers.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Sure it did.

 

[LordCBH]

Fucking how? The entire game looks cheap as shit.

 

[Dr.Morris79]

Worth every penny.

 

[The_Mike]

Yikes, that's alot of soy latte

 

[diffusionx]

Fucking how? The entire game looks cheap as shit.

The game was in full development for many years (announced in 2019, probably work was started after Agent of Mayhem came out). It was a full development studio of people. It has all the trappings of a modern game. This stuff costs what it costs. The people have to get paid market rates, they don’t announce themselves as incompetent for a discount, even if they are incompetent. You don’t get a “make the game shitty” discount, unfortunately.

 

[lee50_10]

 

[Max_Po]

90 million was spent on study/researching woke culture.

 

[Shut0wen]

Did anyone actually pay for that?

 

[Skifi28]

 

[diffusionx]

Did anyone actually pay for that?

Why would you have student loans if you can afford a $100,000,000 vidya

 

[Shut0wen]

Why would you have student loans if you can afford a $100,000,000 vidya

The offer was legit though

 

[intbal]

Volition is based in Illinois, right?

They're not based at all.

 

[MiguelItUp]

That's horrible. Game looked like as if it didn't cost that... at all.

 

[YeulEmeralda]

Vice City was made in under 2 years. Had A list celebs doing voices. Metric ton of licensed music including Michael Jackson.


Basically we need to go back.

 

[Esppiral]

They didn't spent a cent on dubbs

 

[fermcr]

Developer gets paid average 80.000 year... 300 developers working on game... during 5 years...

80000 x 300 x 5 = 120 million.

 

[Tunned]

Just for reference, GTAIV cost 100 million to make back in 2008... And it is by far the more superior game in quality.
I wonder if top management at Volition bought new houses + cars in the past years?

 

[GymWolf]

I'm sure the money weren't used for cocaine and whores.

 

[Fake]

Nobody expected to flop, right?

 

[Kvally]

I had more fun in this game than other games that cost 100 million or more to make.

 

[Eddie-Griffin]

So we can't believe this then. UGH.

I mean you can, the gaming journalists are all reporting on it as if it's confirmed. lol

 

[Chronicle]

That's not good.

 

[GHound]

This dookiebutter and dick cheese sandwich of a game could have had a budget of two pennies and a jar of pickles and even that would have been more than it deserved. People explicitly stated for years what they wanted out of a new Saints title and the turds in charge just shrugged and made an ass of themselves anyway.

 

[Dr.Morris79]

I'm sure the money weren't used for cocaine and whores.

For the game we got? It must have been acid..



^
Company meeting.

 

[Deerock71]

Gee whiz, and people keep wondering why Nintendo sticks to AA budgets. Having to earn 100 million just to reach 'break-even' (which the Saints Row remake will likely never do) is just plain-old stupid.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

no sustainable

 

[j.k.2021]

They should have known about their target audience then,

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

I had more fun in this game than other games that cost 100 million or more to make.

fun doesn't pay the bills.

 

[Gambit2483]

"How to bring back a videogame franchise just to kill it off immediately"

 

[NikuNashi]

Look at the results. A woke turd. Bet those advisers and diversity hires are laughing all the way to the bank. They have been paid and are moving onto the next problematic franchise to update for modern audiences.

Shareholders must be fuming.

 

[Rhazer Fusion]

The game looked decent I suppose at least in some parts, but I had no idea it cost that much. That’s ridiculous, What will GTA6 cost then? 1 billion??

 

[Fbh]

Why does it cost $100 million to make an Xbox 360 game in 2022?

 

[freefornow]

I'm sure the money weren't used for cocaine and whores.

Would have been a better use of that money.

 

[T4keD0wN]

If only theyve spent more than 20$ on the writing.

 

[Ozriel]

Developer gets paid average 80.000 year... 300 developers working on game... during 5 years...

80000 x 300 x 5 = 120 million.

Studio has 230 employees. And they didn't make the game for 5 years. Not to mention not everyone at the studio is a developer.

 

[Fake]

I had more fun in this game than other games that cost 100 million or more to make.

Fun is subjective.

 

[fermcr]

Studio has 230 employees. And they didn't make the game for 5 years. Not to mention not everyone at the studio is a developer.

Agents of Mayhem released in 2017. Saints Row released in 2022. That's a 5 year interval.
Remember that those 230 employees can turn into 400 or 500, because big budget games have a lot of outsourcing to external studios and freelancers.

$100 million budget isn't surprising...

 

[rofif]

Remember when gta4 was 100mil and it was crazy? And it only took 3 years to make really…

 

[Kvally]

Fun is subjective.

You nailed it.

 

[Sleepwalker]

Made it all back from resetera member purchases.

 

[coffinbirth]

For the game we got? It must have been acid..



^
Company meeting.

Naw, it would've had FAR better writing.