Deadpool (2013) is a game that's garnered some notoriety due to how hard it is to obtain. The original versions were delisted from the original storefronts after a year, and then an updated version released in 2015 was again delisted in 2017. With the popularity of the recently released Deadpool & Wolverine movie, the rare game has become a sort of commodity.
There's been a persistent myth about Deadpool since its release over a decade ago: that the game's budget was $100 million, a number that would have been exorbitantly expensive for any game of that era, never mind for a licensed title.
The Most Expensive Licensed Game Ever?
This persistent rumour popped up again when games writer Chris Baker, who worked on Deadpool, attempted to dispel the popular myth in a social media post (thanks, GamesRadar+). "My challenge to game journalists," Baker begins with a call to action. "Just in time for Deadpool & Wolverine, squash the insane rumour that the Deadpool game cost $100 million. It's crazy how many people are out there [saying] 'How could this possibly have cost so much?!' when it obviously didn't, not even close."
Baker goes on to post some of the earliest references to Deadpool's budget that he can find – mostly listicles from 2015. The exact origin of the rumour is unknown, as none of the content that references the game's budget points to the source of this information. Baker himself concedes that he wasn't privy to the budget, but he knows for sure that it was nowhere near $100 million.
For comparison's sake, here are some of the budgets of triple-A games that released the same year as Deadpool: Grand Theft Auto V ($265 million), BioShock Infinite ($100 million), Tomb Raider ($100 million). Even in today's vastly more expensive market, Baldur's Gate 3 only cost $100 million to develop. A 10-hour licensed action game like Deadpool wouldn't have come close to costing $100 million.
It could one day cost you $100 million to buy it, though, as resale prices for Deadpool have been steadily rising following the release of the movie. Prices are beginning to consistently reach over $100 on resale websites.
