Thanks to a recent leak, analysts have been able to estimate profits earned by PlayStation exclusives Horizon Forbidden West and The Last of Us 2.
For those who haven’t been following, both games’ budgets were revealed by a poorly-redacted document that Sony submitted in court as part of the ongoing legal battle between Microsoft, Activision and the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC is seeking an injunction to prevent Microsoft and Activision from merging.
Horizon Forbidden West and The Last of Us 2 cost over $200 million to make
As previously revealed, both Horizon and TLOU 2 cost over $200 million to develop. While this staggering number includes all costs of production, including staff salaries, it doesn’t include marketing costs. Regardless, Cowen analyst Doug Creutz and Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter have told Axios that the games have earned a profit of approximately $300 million each, with marketing and retailer cuts accounted for.
Since both games are Sony’s first-party games, their profits aren’t affected by the 30% fee that platform holders charge developers for sales via their online storefronts. Still, it’s surprising to see AAA game budgets exceeding big-budget Hollywood productions — an issue many in the industry have been ringing alarm bells about, including former Sony executive Shawn Layden.
