Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 has been one of the biggest successes of 2024, selling over 5 million copies. According to Matt Karch, CEO of Saber Interactive and creator of the game, the development cost of the game was a quarter of the average price for AAA blockbusters. He believes that the model used for Space Marine 2 represents the future, while the 400-million-dollar AAA productions will soon disappear.
“I think that the age of the $200 million, $300 million, $400 million triple-A game is on its way out,” Karch said in an interview with Stephen Totilo of Game File (thanks Kotaku). “I don’t think it’s necessary. I don’t think it’s appropriate.”
Experts, including former PlayStation president Shawn Layden, say that the costs to make and market AAA games have more than doubled with each new generation of consoles. For example, the first Spider-Man game on PS4 cost about $100 million, while Spider-Man 2 cost around $300 million. However, the second game didn’t sell much more than the first, with the only difference being a $10 higher price.
Some developers try to recoup costs through microtransactions, but Karch believes the success of Space Marine 2 is also due to the fact that the game doesn’t include systems that squeeze the player for every cent. He also sees excessive costs as a key factor contributing to the mass layoffs currently affecting the gaming industry.
The model to follow, according to Karch, would be the one used for Space Marine 2, which he calls a “Double-A Plus” game, with some AAA-quality elements. “It’s a solid game. Its budget was a quarter of what anybody else would spend,” he said.
