Sony: God Of War III budget is $44 million

The budget for Santa Monica Studio's imminent PlayStation 3 exclusive God of War III has been placed at $44 million, according to an interview with director of product development John Hight

Speaking in an interview with website Giant Bomb, Hight commented: "We are stamping discs now, so we're effectively done, just got a couple of countries that we're finishing up on this week, and we've spent $44 million on God of War III."

"Believe it or not, that's right within budget," he added.

Soaring game budgets have been a key feature of the current generation of home consoles, with full price Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 releases often requiring a minimum budget of around $10 million.

Although publishers are usually reticent to reveal the exact budget of games the most expensive game ever is believed to be Grand Theft Auto IV at $100 million. The still unreleased Grand Turismo 5 already has a budget of $60 million, which is likely to rise as it nears launch.

Some of the most expensive games though have not necessarily been sales hits, with Sega's infamous Shenmue long holding the record for the most expensive game ever at $70 million.

The long gestation period of Silicon Knight's Too Human, and the cost of three format switches, racked up a budget of over $60 million.

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