Some people spend their entire lives searching for their destiny. All it took Activision Blizzard Inc. was $500 million.
The game maker reportedly intends to funnel half a billion dollars into the development and promotion of its sci-fi role-playing franchise Destiny.
According to Reuters, this financial effort—which includes marketing, packaging, infrastructure support, royalties, and other costs—could break industry records. If nothing else, it overshadows many Hollywood film budgets.
Activision CEO Bobby Kotick told attendees at last week's Milken conference in LA that a 2010 deal with game developer Bungie gives Activision control over the franchise until at least 2020. "If you're making a $500 million bet you can't take that chance with someone else's IP," Kotick said, according to Reuters.
According to analysts cited by Reuters, Activision will have to sell 15 million to 16 million units at $60 each to break even. That, of course, is not an impossibility. Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto 5 topped $800 million in first-day sales; within one month, it counted almost 30 million units sold.
Activision did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment.
A Destiny beta is expected to open this summer, and the game will be released on Sept. 9. Pre-order now for PS4, PS3, Xbox One, and Xbox 360.