Tekken 8 Dev Costs 2-3 Times Higher Than T7, Producer Discusses Microtransactions/Story Mode DLC

The development costs of Bandai Namco Entertainment's latest fighting game, Tekken 8, is 2 to 3 times higher than that of Tekken 7.

[PapaBop]

Comparing Tekken 8 development costs to Tekken 7 as a way to justify cash shops is disingenuous at best, Tekken 7 released in arcades a good few years before console released so isn't fair to compare that to the development cycle of Tekken 8. I'm not bothered by the cash shop and actually expected it but them sneakily revealing it a month after release and after all the positive reviews deserves being called out for what it is.
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[XiNatsuDragnel]

Tekken 8 doing gangbusters so far

[RhinoGamer88]

That is the challenge for AAA development. 2-3x the cost of the previous but will it generate 4-6x in sales to justify further development and studio solvency? If justified by reviews and Metacritic, gamers need to be purchasing these AAA at nearly full price if they want more games in that series.

[blackblades]

My thing is what exactly makes the development cost so much specifically?

[KyRo]

This is what I don't get. UE5 video updates show how much easier engines are getting at stream lining a lot of work, mo cap whilst expensive has been standard for a long time, and the games are selling more than ever, at a higher price and riddled with microtransactions.

[Inverno]

I think most of us would like to know. So many games released so far leave me confused about how they could have possibly cost so much to make. The amount of time it takes is odd too, and I'm speaking specifically about sequels that clearly are reusing assets and completed mechanics. For as much as the industry has "matured", devs seem to be making less with more time.

[CrimsonWing69]

This exactly! What has changed? The development tools are still the same... so what are we paying more and more and more for with costs? Oh, because employees are demanding more pay?

I think the onus is on the industry to manage their budgets. I mean crying out loud a lot of games have looked worse than last-get this gen, look at the Arkham Knight gameplay to Suicide Squad... yet we're paying $70 at launch plus with that being a GaaS game we're paying for micro-transactions.

So, I'm with you on this, what the hell is making development cost more because I'm not seeing the money's worth here.

[Plague-Doctor27]

Developer salaries have gone up. In Japan average salaries have gone from $57k to $71k since 2015 (when Tekken 7 released)

Salaries have increased 24% in 8 years. Even if Tekken 8 had the same production team as Tekken 7 it would cost 24% more to make. Games aren't priced 24% higher

Now if Tekken 8 was made with less people than Tekken 7 they'd be...laying people off

[TiredGamer]

The greatest cost in just about any business is labor. Do a rough calculation.... Let's say 300 employees x avg salary (plus benefits) of $150k x 3 years of development = $135M just for labor for the game. Last of Us 2 credited over 2000 people for its development, just as a source of context, so 300 people directly tied to a AAA game isn't completely crazy. It's likely that this is even higher. Then figure out the cost of admin overhead and marketing, and we're probably closer to $200M just for one title.

If a game is $70, how many copies do you need to sell to cover that cost? At least 3 million copies to break even. And this is just revenue, not necessarily profit if you are talking about physical copies. How many games sell that many copies? Beyond the top 10/20 in the charts, probably not many.

Games are ridiculously expensive today. It's probably unsustainable. Figure that in the Playstation 1 era, Twisted Metal 1 was developed on a budget of $500k.......... yikes.

[blackblades]

I web searched it if true it says, the workforce the salary of a employee on a game, the amount of employees, the months they been working on said game being calculated up. That can be the most costly amongst other things. Probably why they are layoffs but I wanna hear directly from the devs themselves specifically on why it cost so much etc

[Darkegg]

That depends on their view. Are they in it for the money or need the money to stay in business where it's a passion? It's hard for me to accept this idea that they don't make enough when I paid for Tekken 7 twice -- for deluxe edition then the definitive. I still resent that I paid twice with no prorated discount. I think when a developer gets a little taste of success that leads to a vicious cycle of insatiable thirst for more.. like much more in order to be incentivized. Either they haven't learned to manage better or their ego is in the way. I wouldn't mind if they just built on a new IP where they didn't need to invest that much .. and still satisfy gamers. It's not like they started from scratch. It's evolving previous builds. If servers are not sustainable with current technology then find a new blueprint that works. I'm not for microtransactions. I want a final product. Microtransactions should be limited on optional consumables like clothing. But not withholding characters or other significant part of the game. I won't be buying Tekken 8 if it's true that there are cash shops. Keep that away.

[fsfsxii]

You bought the game twice and you’re part of the problem. The product of tekken 7 wasnt worth it to me, so i ended up buying it used and returned it a week later.

[TiredGamer]

I look forward to the days that some of you start your own development studios and create games just for the passion of it. It's an honorable notion. Can't wait to play your Tekken 8 killer.

[Kakashi Hatake]

If you don't want the transactions, don't buy. Developers deserve the right to make extra money. Cellphone games make money for trash.

[Moegooner]

I mean how else are they gonna maintain their record profits and the hefty CEO checks.

[GamerRN]

I don't understand why people get upset about micro transactions. If it's cosmetics, get over it. As long as it isn't pay to win

[Unknown_Gamer5794]

Man, I’ve always loved Tekken, but I do not like the direction this series is heading (which sadly might be a direction fighting games in general are headed, but I digress). Maybe it’s high time I exit and just appreciate the older Tekken titles.

[ROCKY28]

Tekken 7 Nina Williams 😊
Tekken 8 Nina Williams 😒