Over the last few decades, video game development has transformed into a multi-billion dollar industry and shows no signs of slowing down. By 2026, the industry is reported to be worth more than $314 billion. A major contributor to this shift in gaming will be games with blockchain.
The “Play-to-Earn” (P2E) model has been the most popular model in blockchain gaming with popular games like Axie Infinity having paved the way The market cap for all P2E game tokens is worth over $20 billion which is impressive. The interest in P2E games shows no signs of slowing down, with many businesses, investors, and venture capitalists investing heavily in P2E games. According to a report by DappRadar, In 2021 alone, investors allocated a total of $4 billion for investment in P2E games while the numbers reached $2.5 billion within the first quarter of 2022. The well-known VC fund a16z allocated a $600 million fund only for gaming companies. With all the buzz surrounding P2E games, one might ask how much it costs to build a P2E game. We at Super Ultra can assist you with a breakdown of what it takes to build a P2E game and how much it costs.
P2E Game Cost Breakdown
Developing any game regardless of whether it is a traditional game or a blockchain game requires a considerable investment and a team of experts to bring a game idea to life. There are also a variety of factors that may influence the cost of building a game such as:
Game genre
Game complexity
Animation quality
Time duration
Platform compatibility
And more
Anyone can download free game development tools and build a basic game for free, but the same does not apply to a blockchain game due to the complications required in terms of smart contracts, coding style, blockchain knowledge, and more. We at Super Ultra make sure that we help our clients by partnering with them, taking complicated manners off their shoulders, and holding responsibility for every development process involved in building a P2E game.
The time duration is also a key metric in the cost estimation of a P2E game. The development of some games can last up to nine months or even longer depending on the objectives of the game developers. Some games can be extremely simple with basic playing mechanisms whereas other games can be highly intuitive and engaging which may require a longer development time.
Cost estimations for a P2E game
Indie Games
An indie game (short for independent game) is usually a game created by an individual or a small development team typically without the backing of a renowned game publisher. The cost of such a game can be anywhere between $50 to $700k. The cost can vary depending on the nature of the game whether it is a simple playing mechanism or it is a high-level game with many features.
Triple ‘I’ Games
These are games that are a combination of indie and AAA games. They have the creativity and simplicity of an indie game but the higher development budgets of a AAA game. The ballpark estimation of such a game can be anywhere from $1 million to $10 million owing to a lot of various factors. An example of a triple “I” game is Rocket League, which cost $2 million to make.
AAA Games
AAA games are one of the most popular games and are typically produced with a massive budget by a highly renowned game publisher. The development of such games usually costs anywhere from the starting range of $1 million without an end. For example, The Elder Scrolls Online cost $200 Million to develop, making it one of the most expensive games to create. However, such games often generate a huge return on investment owing to their demand and popularity.
The development cost of a game will depend on the feature implementation. Is the game a simple app with only a few levels or are you creating an epic storyline with 3D characters in a strategy game with a lot of in-game items? Such factors can hugely vary the development cost of a P2E game.
Other Factors
Multiplayer mode
eSports ranking system
Play options in terms of possibilities for a character
Storyline and graphics
Gameplay mechanics
Tokenomics and DeFi integration
It is not easy to estimate the precise budget of a game without fully understanding its idea, game type, or the platform you are building on. Various factors go into the cost estimation and only a thorough analysis of the objectives of the game can help provide an accurate estimate. If you are a game developer looking to understand how much it would cost to turn your game idea into reality, then please contact us at Super Ultra here.