RPGs have always been one of the most difficult and risky genres in terms of production. Here is what Owlcat Games founder and CEO Oleg Shpilchevskiy has to say about the challenges posed by rising costs, as well as the success of Baldur’s Gate 3 and its impact on the industry.
A more apt comparison might be how much Divinity Original Sin, either 1 or 2, cost to make, and use that as a baseline instead of BG3, which is a significantly bigger project. From a quick search, DOS1 cost 4.5 million euros, make some adjustments like inflation, special interests, asshole marketers, and you’re probably looking at a very well received CRPG nowadays costing around 8-10 million euros, which falls into his listed AA budget.
One thing Oleg noted that can balloon the cost is voice acting. For a CRPG with fuckloads of text, that’s true. While I personally don’t mind a game with too much text and no voice, I might be in the minority. I guess the expectation on having a voice over really depends more on the game and who’s behind it.
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A more apt comparison might be how much Divinity Original Sin, either 1 or 2, cost to make, and use that as a baseline instead of BG3, which is a significantly bigger project. From a quick search, DOS1 cost 4.5 million euros, make some adjustments like inflation, special interests, asshole marketers, and you’re probably looking at a very well received CRPG nowadays costing around 8-10 million euros, which falls into his listed AA budget.
One thing Oleg noted that can balloon the cost is voice acting. For a CRPG with fuckloads of text, that’s true. While I personally don’t mind a game with too much text and no voice, I might be in the minority. I guess the expectation on having a voice over really depends more on the game and who’s behind it.