Developing MMOs costs a lot of money. The head of Path of Exile 2 reveals how much his game has cost and explains why his studio can operate so cheaply.
How much did Path of Exile 2 cost? In an interview with content creator Destin on YouTube, game director Jonathan Rogers also discussed the development costs of Path of Exile 2. He explains that the development costs were significantly less than a 9-digit amount.
They [the development costs, editor’s note] are much lower than nine digits
So, Path of Exile 2 cost less than 100 million. He does not specify the currency. It is unknown exactly which currency he means, but the developer of Path of Exile is based in New Zealand, while the interviewer is in the USA. For comparison:
- 100 million New Zealand dollars is equivalent to 52,658,000.00 €
- 100 million US dollars is equivalent to 92,630,760 €.
If we assume that PoE2 cost 75 million euros, then the ARPG would still be more than 3 times cheaper than GTA V, which is reported to have cost about 275 million euros for development and marketing (via PCWelt.de). Since then, development costs have generally continued to rise (via play3.de).
The development costs for Path of Exile 2 seem relatively low. Content creator Destin agrees and asks the PoE2 head about the reasons for this.
You can watch the trailer for the new season “Dawn of the Hunt” here. The new season starts on April 4, 2025.
Two reasons for the low costs
What makes development so cheap? In the interview, game director Jonathan Rogers names two reasons why the development of Path of Exile 2 is so inexpensive. Firstly, it is due to the location of the developer studio. Grinding Gear Games, the developers of Path of Exile 2 and its predecessor, are located in Auckland, New Zealand.
The head reveals that salaries there are more reasonable compared to salaries in California. According to him, salaries in New Zealand are more at a global average level, while they have risen significantly in California. Worldwide, the salary range for software developers is on average between 50,000 and 110,000 dollars (via wearedevelopers.com).
The second reason for the low development costs, according to the game director, lies in the efficiency of his company. In the developer studio, efforts are always made to keep bureaucracy low and to eliminate it where possible. According to Rogers, there are not multiple levels in middle management.
In an anecdote, Rogers explains that employees who have their first job at Grinding Gear Games and later move to other companies are often shocked by how efficient the development of Path of Exile 2 was in comparison.
You can watch the entire interview here (via YouTube.com):
Is Path of Exile 2 already profitable? The head has also commented on this. According to him, PoE2 is profitable and has already recouped production costs with the successful launch of the ARPG. Since then, they have likely continued to generate profits with the ARPG, as Rogers states they are currently in a good position.
What is the status of Path of Exile 2? The developers of Path of Exile 2 recently introduced the new season “Dawn of the Hunt,” which is set to start on April 4, 2025. It will include the new huntress class. Additionally, there will be new expansion classes and more than 100 new unique items and support skills. More information about the key changes in the update can be found here: Path of Exile 2 changes all classes, says: You can say goodbye to your OP builds
