Starfield Reportedly Had A Budget Of $200 Million And A 500-Member Dev Team

Allegedly, Bethesda mustered up a $200 million budget for Starfield and formulated a headcount of about 500 developers working on the game. While some argue that this figure is still low for an IP that’s been in development for roughly 7 years, it is expected that the amount is only covering development costs while leaving out other metrics, such as marketing.  

This information comes from a LinkedIn post by David Reitman, a well-reputed industry insider, and a former Accenture employee. David, while speaking to his followers, creates awareness of the enormity of Starfield and what type of a blockbuster project we have on the cards right now. Starfield is Bethesda’s latest, most ambitious project to date, so it’s no wonder that the studio would spend exorbitantly on it to realize its vision. 

The creative vision of Todd Howard, a man who had to wait for technology to catch up for the vision to be realized, is now scheduled for liftoff on September 6! A team of over 500 and a budget of over $200M, this game is promising a universe so vast, you’ll need a space GPS!” 

To put things into perspective, Red Dead Redemption 2, easily one of Rockstar Games’ best works up until now, has been developed with a budget that falls within the range of $170 million. And we all know the scale at which Red Dead 2 operates—the level of immersion exhibited by the Western action-adventure shooter is simply second to none, being the sequel to the first Red Dead Redemption. 

It’s unclear as of yet how much Starfield will cost in total with all other parameters combined, but speculation says that the final figure should be somewhere around $300-400 million, considering the stature of the title at hand and the amount of time it’s been under development. Moreover, if the 500-member development team part is correct, costs are certain to be quite higher than $200 million. 

In other news, Starfield is making waves across the industry at the moment, and there’s just no doubting it. It’s been enjoying its place at the pinnacle of Steam’s top-seller charts week in and week out, especially after the developers announced that the game had gone gold two weeks ago. We’re now zeroing in on the space RPG’s September 6 release, and some just wish time would roll over to this date in a flash. 

That is to say, Starfield has a Premium Edition to its name that offers a 5-day early access period, among other sought-after goodies. However, those looking to go overboard and come into possession of extra Starfield merchandise can comfortably look into the $300 Constellation Edition of the title. It’s fully decked out with stuff and even comes with a specialized watch that you can flex on your wrist. 

And in case you missed it, Bethesda’s marketing and public relations head Pete Hines has openly stated that despite a hundred and fifty hours into Starfield, he’s not even “close” to seeing everything. That’s more than just awe-inspiring for Bethesda fanatics looking for the next Skyrim-like RPG experience. September can’t come sooner, can it?