Epic expects next-gen game development to cost at least double the current rate

Epic Games' Chief Technology adviser Tim Sweeney has said he believes the company will be able to produce next-gen titles for double the cost accumulated at the start of this current generation.

Speaking at the Montreal International Game Summit, Sweeney suggests the doubled fee is a decent result. Epic showcased its first next-gen tech demo in 2011.

The three minute clip, which was codenamed Samaritan, had the company "greatly worried" about final costs. It took a team of 30 people four months to create; an output that isn't sustainable in the long run.

"If we extrapolate that into creating an entire game, we were worried that the cost would go up by a factor of three or four or even five in the next generation. And of course, we felt that was not acceptable."

Epic managed to use its content and production tools more efficiently, cutting costs in the process. Sweeney also warned against the pitfalls of free-to-play games.

"If a user has world-class, AAA free-to-play games to choose from side-by-side with $60 games that are available only on a disc in a retail store, free-to-play games are very likely to win. So we need to really be mindful of this trend and start building games that have monetization and are designed to be piracy-proof."

Thanks, GI.