View Large Image

As you all know, Grand Theft Auto IV comes out this week. If for some bizarre reason you didn't know, you're simply lost...this is a gaming website, chief. Everybody in the game world knows GTAIV drops on the 29th.

Anyway, the game will certainly be the biggest release of 2008, and according to a recent article at the UK's TimesOnline, it may also be the most expensive game to make in the industry's history. Leslie Benzies, one of the leading producers for GTAIV, estimates that the total cost to create GTAIV sits at the astounding $100 million mark. Yep, that's right- "It's like making a theatre production, a few movies and an album all to fit into one package," he said. While he can't put an exact price tag on the production, he believes that $100m mark isn't far off; over 1,000 people had a part in developing the blockbuster, after all. But even if it is accurate, don't worry about Rockstar. Analysts expect the game to rake in over $400 million in the first week of sales alone.

Grand Theft Auto IV is bound to be a phenomenon, and it probably comes as no surprise that it costs a mountain of cash to develop and produce. But $100 million? That's just insane. Let's hope it's all worth it in the end!