3DS development costs much higher than DS costs
Game developer Marvelous Entertainment has said in a recent investor Q&A that they expect 3DS development costs to be much higher than current DS costs, with the prices ranging anywhere from ¥70 million ($840,000) and ¥100-150 million ($1.2 to $1.8 million), depending on the game. As Gamesutra reports, DS costs currently are around ¥4.4 million ($53,000) on the low end and ¥44 million ($527,000) for a standard DS title. For Marvelous, Wii budgets are estimated at ¥2 million ($24,000) to ¥116 million ($1.4 million). This means that some 3DS games could cost around as much to develop as Wii games, and in some cases as much as higher end consoles.
No word on how true this is, but is it just an estimate from a developer. We’ll keep tabs on any other info we may get!
