GTA VI’s Development Budget Was Slightly Less Than the Cost of Building the Burj Khalifa

Rockstar Games says Grand Theft Auto VI cost slightly less to develop than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world’s tallest building. The skyscraper cost about $1.5 billion to build, but Rockstar has not disclosed an exact budget for the game.

One of the main reasons for the high cost is the growth of Rockstar Games’ workforce. The company now employs more than 4,700 people, almost twice as many as when GTA VI development began. Maintaining a team of that size over several years requires substantial investment.

The scale of the project also adds to the cost. Grand Theft Auto VI will feature a vast open world based on a fictional version of Miami and its surrounding areas. Creating an environment of that size requires substantial resources, particularly given modern graphics and performance requirements.

Development time is another factor. GTA VI will be released 13 years after the previous numbered entry in the series.

Rockstar can afford such an investment thanks to the franchise’s commercial success. The Grand Theft Auto series has sold about 500 million copies to date, including approximately 230 million copies of Grand Theft Auto V alone.

Source: iXBT.games