I expect Battlefield 3, Assassins Creed 3, GTA V have similar development costs. Halo 4's budget was reportedly $40 million, and Gran Turismo's was $60 million.

I expect Battlefield 3, Assassins Creed 3, GTA V have similar development costs. Halo 4's budget was reportedly $40 million, and Gran Turismo's was $60 million. Basically if you can't spend the big bucks to compete, you go out of business (see THQ, Atari). If it is true the average budget hasn't increased over the last few years, it is because the current console hardware is maxed out, or because companies are getting better at outsourcing asset production to cheaper labor in China. When the next generation consoles from Microsoft and Sony roll out later this year, I'm sure budgets will jump again.