$100 million Grand Theft Auto IV is most expensive game ever

With an all but confirmed US$100 million budget and a development staff of 1,000 people, Grand Theft Auto IV is the most expensive video game ever created by man.

GTA IV producer Leslie Benzies mentioned the numbers as estimates in an interview with the Times Online. The GTA producer also pointed out that the 1,000 developers, designers, producers and other video game-related professionals worked on the game for more than three and a half years.

The figures mean that GTA IV's development costs have taken over the first place spot for most expensive game ever created from Sega's Shenmue for the Dreamcast. That game had a more modest $70 million budget, but in its defense it lacked prostitutes, Russian nationals and a Statue of Happiness.

Analysts have predicted that GTA IV could gross more than $400 million in its first week, which would also be a record.