Most Expensive Game Development

[Raedon]

according to Guinness


http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/index.asp?id=51254

"The Dreamcast computer game titled Shenmue cost over $20 million to develop. The project took seven years to complete, and was the brainchild of Japanese developer Yu Suzuki, head of Sega's game-development AM2 division.

Sega was founded in 1951 and has since become a world leader in interactive digital entertainment. Sega says their future is about using cyberspace to create an out-of-this-world gaming environment. The mastermind of Shenmue, Yu Suzuki, began working for Sega in 1983 as a programmer and game producer, and a year later he created the world's first simulation arcade game, Hang On."

[Oberfuhrer Hamm]

????

That link goes to "The Longest Cat" record.

[Raedon]

woops!

http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/index.asp?id=53483

On an unrelated note, there is no "fattest cat" world record..

[Oberfuhrer Hamm]

http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/index.asp?id=52404

[devilman]

It wouldn't surprise me to see a Final Fantasy game top that one day.

[SoulBlazer]

$20 MILLION????

I've never played the game (although I'd like to, but it's not worth buying a DC for that one game) -- but where on God's green earth did TWENTY MILLION go to?

As far as I recall, no FF game has gone over $12 million in costs. Even the Metal Gear Solids and some heavy FMV games where they paid big name actors (like the Wing Commander games) has'nt gone for more then a few million.

Makes me wonder what the CHEAPEST game was.

[tynstar]

FMV games where they paid big name actors (like the Wing Commander games)

Big name actors????

[SoulBlazer]

No, I was right in my first post, thank you -- big NAME actors, people that you would reconize.....like James Earl Jones in one of the Command and Conquer games.

[tynstar]

Command and Conquer I agree about James Earl Jones but Wing Commander

[petewhitley]

I could swear I've just read that Enter The Matrix was the most expensive game ever developed...

[RetroYoungen]

Makes me wonder what the CHEAPEST game was.

Wasn't E.T. programmed in like 2 weeks? Might that be considered the cheapest?

Just thinking aloud.

[Zaxxon]

Did Shen Mue also set the record for Most Boring Game and Biggest Waste of Game Development Time/Dollars?

[thegreatescape]

Damn FMV wing commander games. Mark Hamil + FMV trend of the 90's = shamefull wing commander games.

[Charlie]

Man, they have a record for everything. Here's the record for the biggest game of Poohsticks (You know, from Winnie the Pooh).

http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/...recordid=55436

[ubersaurus]

Did Shen Mue also set the record for Most Boring Game and Biggest Waste of Game Development Time/Dollars?

My friend would argue with that til the day he dies. The game is basically just an interactive kung-fu movie, and if you're into that sort of thing, then its pretty neat. If not, well, there's always space harrier :P

[Captain Wrong]

Did Shen Mue also set the record for Most Boring Game and Biggest Waste of Game Development Time/Dollars?

Ahh...I dunno. I'll agree that Shenmue wasn't all that, but I've played a TON of games more boring.

Cheapest would be hard to say because you gotta keep in mind there were tons of homebrewers in the early days of computer games who were literally working at their kitchen tables by them selves. There would be a ton of contenders for this title.