Former PlayStation head thinks game budgets will be a hot topic in 2024

News
By published

Shawn Layden thinks we'll be hearing more about budgets throughout this coming year

Spider Man 2 skills, abilities, gadgets and suit tech
(Image credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment)

A former PlayStation figurehead thinks we're about to hear a lot more about game development budgets going forward in 2024.

Earlier today, former Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Shawn Layden posted a tweet reacting to information purportedly taken from the Insomniac Games hack last month, where it was revealed Marvel's Spider-Man 2 cost more than $300 million to make. Layden makes it clear that he thinks we'll be hearing plenty more about the ever-rising cost of game development through the course of 2024.

It's a little difficult to gauge whether Layden is talking solely about game development budgets, or the Insomniac Games hack at large. Information is still making its way online from the group that hacked, and then held to ransom, the Spider-Man 2 developer, in particular story spoilers for the forthcoming Marvel's Wolverine.

Game development budgets are increasingly spiralling into nine figures. A game like Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is obviously at the very top of this spectrum, given that it's a tentpole console exclusive produced and financed by Sony, but that's not to say it isn't indicative of a trend towards increasingly expensive game development. As highlighted in the wake of the hack, it doesn't take long for around 500 devs working for five years at a median salary of $120,000 to soak up hundreds of millions of dollars in development costs.

For what it's worth, Layden has 'Liked' several tweets in response to his - one stating that not every game needs to be "20 - 50 hours long," and another simply saying that the $300 million for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 was "not worth it." From this, Layden seems to be in the camp of those who believe game development budgets are spiralling out of control. 

Head over to our upcoming PS5 games guide for a look ahead at all the games Sony currently has on the schedule for its new-gen console. 

See more PS5 News
Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

Read more
The Last of Us 2
"Single-player games now cost so much" which is why you need to buy remasters so PlayStation can "keep investing in great new games" according to ex-Sony president
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War reportedly surpasses Red Dead Redemption 2's huge development costs, with a massive $700 million budget
Rift Apart
Retiring Insomniac boss says developers should still tackle new genres, but it's much riskier these days due to time and money
GTA 6
As some analysts "hope" GTA 6 will normalize $100 games, one Baldur's Gate 3 dev points out that "prices haven't risen with inflation"
Mindseye
"There are so many games": Legendary dev behind GTA 3, GTA 4, GTA 5 and many more says the industry needs to "get smarter" about what players want
Ghost of Yotei lead Atsu in straw hat
What to expect from PlayStation in 2025: Classic games, live services, and moving beyond consoles
Latest in Action
Tomb Raider
5 years after Avengers, 2 years after its last layoffs, and who knows how long before Perfect Dark and Tomb Raider return, Crystal Dynamics announces another round of layoffs
Naoe looks over at a dense, lush, green forest in Assassin's Creed Shadows from a viewpoint
Getting Assassin's Creed Shadows on PS5 and Xbox Series X was all about adding "dynamism" to the open world, but the devs seem most proud about the trees
Naoe and Yasuke walk in the sunset in a screenshot from Assassin's Creed Shadows
Following Assassin's Creed Shadows controversy, Baldur's Gate 3 publishing director says "every big AAA game could be better," but players shouldn't be mad "just because some dude told you to"
Assassin's Creed Shadows Wanted Status
How to remove Wanted status in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Naoe kills a target with a black and white filter over the camera highlighting the red of blood spray in Assassin's Creed Shadows, with an On The Radar orange frame
Assassin's Creed Shadows "has a little bit of Tarantino flavor", but its real secret ingredient is intrigue: "It's almost like you're watching an episode of Shogun"
God of War
20 years later, God of War's original monster art has been revealed: behold this army of stick figures slapped on a whiteboard, no clue Kratos is coming for them
Latest in News
Pillars of Eternity
10 years later, in a post-Baldur's Gate 3 and Avowed world, Obsidian is giving its own throwback CRPG Pillars of Eternity a turn-based combat mode
Destiny 2 Lightfall
When Destiny 2 "weekly active users dropped lower and faster than we'd seen since 2018," Bungie assembled an A-Team to put out some fires: "We needed to do something"
Velma, Daphne, Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo looking at a giant key which is also a clue
Netflix is rebooting Scooby-Doo as a live-action series from the producer of Supergirl and The Flash centered around a "supernatural murder" at a summer camp
Astro Bot
Astro Bot went through 23 pitch iterations before its director promised PlayStation "happy gameplay" and "overflowing charm," though it did once end with robot decapitation that made "some people really upset"
Tomb Raider
5 years after Avengers, 2 years after its last layoffs, and who knows how long before Perfect Dark and Tomb Raider return, Crystal Dynamics announces another round of layoffs
AI Limit
"AI is not as effective as it might appear": Dev of AI-focused Soulslike RPG says they didn't use any AI-generated content and it can't match "genuine creativity"
More about action
Tomb Raider

5 years after Avengers, 2 years after its last layoffs, and who knows how long before Perfect Dark and Tomb Raider return, Crystal Dynamics announces another round of layoffs
Naoe looks over at a dense, lush, green forest in Assassin's Creed Shadows from a viewpoint

Getting Assassin's Creed Shadows on PS5 and Xbox Series X was all about adding "dynamism" to the open world, but the devs seem most proud about the trees
Andor season 2

Andor showrunner hopes that the Disney Plus show's success helps convince Lucasfilm to sign off on either a Star Wars horror movie or sitcom

See more latest
Most Popular
Andor season 2
Andor showrunner hopes that the Disney Plus show's success helps convince Lucasfilm to sign off on either a Star Wars horror movie or sitcom
Pillars of Eternity
10 years later, in a post-Baldur's Gate 3 and Avowed world, Obsidian is giving its own throwback CRPG Pillars of Eternity a turn-based combat mode
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers with the rest of the gang during the superhero movie, The Avengers.
The OG Fox X-Men are back, with Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and more joining the cast of Avengers: Doomsday alongside a whole new Avengers team to take on Robert Downey Jr's Doctor Doom
Destiny 2 Lightfall
When Destiny 2 "weekly active users dropped lower and faster than we'd seen since 2018," Bungie assembled an A-Team to put out some fires: "We needed to do something"
The Handmaid's Tale season 6 first look: Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne
The Handmaid's Tale will go back to basics with a "classic" series finale that's been years in the making
Velma, Daphne, Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo looking at a giant key which is also a clue
Netflix is rebooting Scooby-Doo as a live-action series from the producer of Supergirl and The Flash centered around a "supernatural murder" at a summer camp
Astro Bot
Astro Bot went through 23 pitch iterations before its director promised PlayStation "happy gameplay" and "overflowing charm," though it did once end with robot decapitation that made "some people really upset"
Tomb Raider
5 years after Avengers, 2 years after its last layoffs, and who knows how long before Perfect Dark and Tomb Raider return, Crystal Dynamics announces another round of layoffs
Black Mirror season 7
Charlie Brooker promises Black Mirror season 7 is "a bit more OG", having previously said that he didn't want the series to be known as "the 'tech is bad' show" anymore
AI Limit
"AI is not as effective as it might appear": Dev of AI-focused Soulslike RPG says they didn't use any AI-generated content and it can't match "genuine creativity"