GamesFPSConcordDragon Age veteran crunches the numbers on Concord’s reported $400 million cost: “A project that is in trouble can get really big in an effort to get it over the finish line"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesFPSConcordDragon Age veteran crunches the numbers on Concord’s reported $400 million cost: “A project that is in trouble can get really big in an effort to get it over the finish line"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Firewalk Studios)
BioWareveteran Mark Darrah has crunched the numbers on whether Concord’sreported$400 million development costs are accurate, essentially concluding that it’s entirely possible and plausible that it did.
Darrah also estimates the “fully loaded staff month”, that is how much it cost Sony to keep every member of Concord’s development team on staff, to be $15,000 a month. That doesn’t mean developers were making that much every month, but Darrah is estimating that each employee cost Sony that much in wages, supplies, hardware, office space, and also indirect costs including HR. He’s also using that number in an effort to see whether Concord’s reported $400 million development cost is even plausible, and according to his estimations, it is.
“A project that is in trouble can get really big in an effort to get it over the finish line,” Darrah said. “So with those two numbers. 212 people on average, up until alpha, and 900 from alpha until launch, we get a grand total cost of about 402 million dollars. So, it’s possible, if we do it purely through staffing with just a fairly simple ramp.”
“Did it cost 400 million dollars? I’m not sure, I think we can make it plausible that it did. Certainly for a game with as relatively small scope, it’s hard to see where all of that money went. It would’ve had to have been lost in iteration. It would have had to have been lost in inefficiencies due to team structure or massive team sizes. Like we just went through I think you can make the math work, and it might represent reality. It’s also possible that the sources that are providing this number are exaggerating, or misinformed, or are getting their math wrong in some other way.”
Darrah announced his retirement from BioWare back in December 2020 after 23 years with the company, so although he presumably has zero insight into Sony’s finances beyond what’s available publicly, he does know a thing or two about game development costs. Still, the exact dollar amount of Sony’s financial loss from Concord,which was in development for around eight years, is yet unknown.
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
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2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
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3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
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5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
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Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”