Most expensive games of the 1990s
SimCity 2000 tops this ranking with $3.5 million, ahead of Fallout ($3 million) and Thief: The Dark Project ($3 million). Development budgets from court filings, publisher reports and serious press. 8 games ranked.
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Which one cost more to make?
| # | Game | Number | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SimCity 2000Production (development) cost per Maxis | $3.5 million | January 2002 | Maxis / Markle Forum (données PC Data) |
| 2 | FalloutApproximate development budget (audio, cinematics and publisher overhead included) | $3 million | April 2012 | Rock Paper Shotgun |
| 3 | Thief: The Dark ProjectProject budget (approximate) | $3 million | July 1999 | Gamasutra / Game Developer |
| 4 | Crash Team RacingDevelopment budget according to Jason Rubin (Naughty Dog) | $2.4 million | January 2014 | Kotaku |
| 5 | Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes BackDevelopment cost according to Jason Rubin (Naughty Dog) | $2 million | January 2014 | Kotaku |
| 6 | Unreal TournamentProject budget (development) | $2 million | June 2000 | Gamasutra (Game Developer Magazine) |
| 7 | Crash BandicootDevelopment cost (1994-1996) according to Naughty Dog co-founder | $1.6 million | January 2025 | Push Square |
| 8 | MystInitial funding provided by Sunsoft to develop Myst (1991) | $250,000 | January 1991 | Inverse |
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