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How much did this game cost to make?

I was wondering if people have any idea how much it cost to develop EvE initially. Clearly one advantage of making a game in space is you don't need ridiculous amounts of time carefully crafting every tiny speck of the environment. IIRC WoW vanilla cost around $100,000,000. EvE's cost are bound to be considerably less, but how much? $10,000,000? More? Less?

Comments

  • DragohrDragohr Member Posts: 49
    You do realize a game isnt comprised of only graphics?
  • LobotomistLobotomist Member EpicPosts: 5,963
    Originally posted by Axxar

    I was wondering if people have any idea how much it cost to develop EvE initially. Clearly one advantage of making a game in space is you don't need ridiculous amounts of time carefully crafting every tiny speck of the environment. IIRC WoW vanilla cost around $100,000,000. EvE's cost are bound to be considerably less, but how much? $10,000,000? More? Less?

    Originally ? I mean the first release version or what we have now ? Because its two different numbers.

    But initially I bet no more than 20.000 $



  • LanfeaLanfea Member UncommonPosts: 223

     

    how much did eve online cost in development? having a closer look on the history of the company (ccp) and the knowing that the euro wasn't establish during most of the development progress i would not be surprised if they spend only around 3-5 million euro until the release of the game in 2003.

  • JaggaSpikesJaggaSpikes Member UncommonPosts: 430
    according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CCP_Games they started with $2.6mil in 2000. as it is today, probably whole lot more.
  • Originally posted by Lobotomist
    Originally posted by Axxar

    I was wondering if people have any idea how much it cost to develop EvE initially. Clearly one advantage of making a game in space is you don't need ridiculous amounts of time carefully crafting every tiny speck of the environment. IIRC WoW vanilla cost around $100,000,000. EvE's cost are bound to be considerably less, but how much? $10,000,000? More? Less?

    Originally ? I mean the first release version or what we have now ? Because its two different numbers.

    But initially I bet no more than 20.000 $

    I'm talking originally. Reason I'm asking really is to gauge what to expect from upcoming space sims like Star Citizen and Elite: Dangerous. Star Citizen for example has raised $4,000,000, which while well beyond its initial goal doesn't sound like a lot. But it makes sense these games don't need huge amounts of cash seeing how much less artwork is needed. Especially for Star Citizen where atmospheric flight isn't even possible.

  • 13lake13lake Member UncommonPosts: 719
    Star Citizen is gonna get about 10+ million dollars more from private investors, if it goes over $5 million maybe even more than  $10 million dollars so the base ammount for Star Citizen is gonna be more like $20 million - $30 million.
  • OK, that sounds pretty cool.
  • KyleranKyleran Member LegendaryPosts: 43,435
    Perhaps the better comparison is how much did the Wing Commander series cost to make in total, because Star Citizen is going to be closer to that sort of game (with a touch of Elite tossed in)

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  • GdemamiGdemami Member EpicPosts: 12,342


    Originally posted by spinner_visaccording to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CCP_Games they started with $2.6mil in 2000. as it is today, probably whole lot more.

    First, there is missing source on that wiki entry.
    Second, that does not mean the game cost as much to make.

  • skeaserskeaser Member RarePosts: 4,179
    Originally posted by Axxar

    I was wondering if people have any idea how much it cost to develop EvE initially. Clearly one advantage of making a game in space is you don't need ridiculous amounts of time carefully crafting every tiny speck of the environment. IIRC WoW vanilla cost around $100,000,000. EvE's cost are bound to be considerably less, but how much? $10,000,000? More? Less?

    WoW was only around $40M back in 2004.

    Sig so that badges don't eat my posts.


  • NewmoonNewmoon Member UncommonPosts: 126

    Star Citizen has already had some development work done, so the $4 mill would be to keep it going, not just starting from the ground up. Several of those goals couldn't have been listed if they hadn't already done at least basic mapping/coding to see that it was possible.

     

    CCP didn't spend all their money on graphics, although they've had a ton of updates in that department. They spent more money than any other MMO on infrastructure, and it shows. Jita used to be capped at 100 then, 300 , then 400, now no cap at all. Fights lagged when 50 people showed up now take 1500 to crash a node, unless reinforced.

    It's one of the reasons SWTOR failed. They spent a lot making it pretty, then the 1980's called and said they wanted their Pong servers back:P When it becomes a lag fest with 100 people at fleet, and has to be instanced at 200 people, with a tiny tiny world map, you will fail. Star Citizen has already figured a way around that, along with no mandating online play, and allowing people to host their own servers. They will host them at the higher kickstart costs (which is met).

    image
  • GdemamiGdemami Member EpicPosts: 12,342


    Originally posted by Newmoon

    CCP didn't spend all their money on graphics

    EVE Online at release was top notch graphics MMO at that time. No other MMO was even close graphically.

  • NewmoonNewmoon Member UncommonPosts: 126
    Originally posted by Gdemami

     


    Originally posted by Newmoon

    CCP didn't spend all their money on graphics

     

    EVE Online at release was top notch graphics MMO at that time. No other MMO was even close graphically.

     My point is that even though they had $20 mill to mess about with, they didn't spend it all on graphics. The lion's share of their dev money has been spent on infrastructure, which is only a limited cost in a PC game like Star Citizen.

    image
  • AvsRock21AvsRock21 Member UncommonPosts: 256

    OP, you really can't go on money alone. I want you to take a look at this game:

     

    Evochron Mercenary

    http://store.steampowered.com/app/71000/

    or

    http://www.starwraith.com/evochronmercenary/

     

    That game was made by a single person... And it is probably much more of a sandbox than Star Citizen will be, judging from the information that is currently available on it. Evochron is very tough to learn, much harder for me than EVE was to learn. Evochron also has 100% full newtonian physics and planetary landings. I honestly see no way Star Citizen will be as hardcore or open as Evochron. And yes there are Evochron multiplayer servers. But if you buy it, play the singleplayer first. It's almost 100% simulator. Very tough. It's completely open world with absolutely no guidance (except for tutorial). You can basically pick a direction in space, fly that way, and find somewhere to live (don't run out of fuel!!). There's tons to do, it's not all combat. All of the code and graphical elements were made by the one guy, pretty impressive. I can't remember what that guy's budget was, but from what I remember it wasn't much at all.

  • GdemamiGdemami Member EpicPosts: 12,342


    Originally posted by Newmoon

    My point is that even though they had $20 mill to mess about with, they didn't spend it all on graphics.


    You do not know how much money they got nor how they spent it.


  • MalcanisMalcanis Member UncommonPosts: 3,297
    Originally posted by Axxar

    I was wondering if people have any idea how much it cost to develop EvE initially. Clearly one advantage of making a game in space is you don't need ridiculous amounts of time carefully crafting every tiny speck of the environment. IIRC WoW vanilla cost around $100,000,000. EvE's cost are bound to be considerably less, but how much? $10,000,000? More? Less?

    IIRC, EVE was launched on a real shoestring budget, I think it was around $4million (The devs famously had to mortgage their houses). However CCP has continuously reinvested in developing EVE rather than tailing off to merely maintaining it like most MMO publishers. So in total, EVE has probably cost hundreds of millions to get to where it is now. But to lauch: almost nothing by today's standards.

    Give me liberty or give me lasers

  • ThaneThane Member EpicPosts: 3,534
    Originally posted by Gdemami

     


    Originally posted by Newmoon

    CCP didn't spend all their money on graphics

     

    EVE Online at release was top notch graphics MMO at that time. No other MMO was even close graphically.

    lool, funny statement

    "I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up! Not me!"

  • LoktofeitLoktofeit Member RarePosts: 14,247
    Originally posted by Thane
    Originally posted by Gdemami

     


    Originally posted by Newmoon

    CCP didn't spend all their money on graphics

     

    EVE Online at release was top notch graphics MMO at that time. No other MMO was even close graphically.

    lool, funny statement

    It's true, though. When CCP had approached Val "Pann" Massey to work PR/Community, they showed her screenshots of the game and her immediate reply was something to the effect of "Renders look great, but what does the game look like?" and the answer was "Those are the game graphics."

    There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
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  • ElsaboltsElsabolts Member RarePosts: 3,476

    Cost does not concern Goonsquad or High section Kamakize ganking, nor Haulkagaden.

    image

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  • ThaneThane Member EpicPosts: 3,534

    i'd say "val 'pann' massey" (whoever that is) didn't play alot of spacegames then ^^

     

    i played eve in beta, i am not saying it looked bad. but hell......... do i really need to explain you what i mean??

    this has even been said in this thread before, when you ONLY render the spaceships every 1 AU, then sure, you can put abit more into them since you dont need no backgorunds or anything.

     

    and when you go as far as eve and take out direct flight controle, it gets even easier.

     

    but hell, if you wanna hype eve online, go ahead... ^^

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  • LoktofeitLoktofeit Member RarePosts: 14,247
    Originally posted by Thane

    i'd say "val 'pann' massey" (whoever that is) didn't play alot of spacegames then ^^

    i played eve in beta, i am not saying it looked bad. but hell......... do i really need to explain you what i mean??

    this has even been said in this thread before, when you ONLY render the spaceships every 1 AU, then sure, you can put abit more into them since you dont need no backgorunds or anything.

    and when you go as far as eve and take out direct flight controle, it gets even easier.

    but hell, if you wanna hype eve online, go ahead... ^^

    I didn't say it performed better, did anything more amazing than other games or that the game was superior to other MMOs, just that for an MMO the game had very good graphics at the time compared to other MMOs.

    Are you really going to compare single-player game graphics to MMO graphics? Do I really need to explain to you the difference? ;)

     

    There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
    "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre

  • KomandorKomandor Member Posts: 272
    How much did it cost to make? Hmm...a few million $ at least?

    Keep on rockin'!image

  • AeolronAeolron Member Posts: 648
    Originally posted by Lobotomist
    Originally posted by Axxar

    I was wondering if people have any idea how much it cost to develop EvE initially. Clearly one advantage of making a game in space is you don't need ridiculous amounts of time carefully crafting every tiny speck of the environment. IIRC WoW vanilla cost around $100,000,000. EvE's cost are bound to be considerably less, but how much? $10,000,000? More? Less?

    Originally ? I mean the first release version or what we have now ? Because its two different numbers.

    But initially I bet no more than 20.000 $

     LOL yeah I wonder if they got the idea for Eve from Microsoft Excel.

  • MalcanisMalcanis Member UncommonPosts: 3,297
    ho ho ho an excel joke man that's super original and clever I am in awe of your comic talent no seriously though where do you get your inspiration?

    Give me liberty or give me lasers

  • MukeMuke Member RarePosts: 2,614
    Originally posted by Axxar

    I was wondering if people have any idea how much it cost to develop EvE initially. Clearly one advantage of making a game in space is you don't need ridiculous amounts of time carefully crafting every tiny speck of the environment. IIRC WoW vanilla cost around $100,000,000. EvE's cost are bound to be considerably less, but how much? $10,000,000? More? Less?

    you can also look at it like this.....EVE is 1 big giant server clusterf*ck combined with each other where everyone demands a 100% smooth running..........literally, wheras Blizzard 'only' had to build a serverrack template which could run very low pixel zones for like 2-3k players for each rack.

     

     

     

    "going into arguments with idiots is a lost cause, it requires you to stoop down to their level and you can't win"

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