The Verge

Sony’s Confidential PlayStation Secrets Just Spilled Because of a Sharpie

The inadvertent public disclosure of sensitive Sony Interactive Entertainment business data during the Federal Trade Commission’s legal challenge against Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard has provided unprecedented insight into the financial mechanics of the modern gaming industry.

• Sony's confidential documents, unredacted due to a scanning error, revealed that "The Last of Us: Part II" and "Horizon Forbidden West" each cost over $200 million to develop.
• In 2021, approximately 1 million PlayStation users exclusively played "Call of Duty," while over 6 million spent more than 70% of their gaming time on the franchise.
• "Call of Duty" players spent an average of 116 hours per year on the game in 2021, with those dedicating over 70% of their time to it averaging 296 hours.