Based on a report from Scottish newspaper The Scotsman, Rockstar’s upcoming open-world game Grand Theft Auto V was made on a marketing and development budget of £170 million (or $265 million). This makes it the most expensive video game production in history. In comparison with Hollywood films, it is second only to Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End - the current record-holder for the most expensive film production – which had a $300 million budget.

In development for the past five years, Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar have put everything into making sure GTA V is the greatest open-world game ever. With over 2.5 million pre-orders already in just the US, analysts are expecting it to be one of the most-sold games of this console generation. GTA IV has so far sold over 25 million copies; how well will GTA V do?

GTA V launches worldwide on September 17 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Have you pre-ordered your copy yet?

IT IS the dark Scots vision of the American way of life set to create computer game history and make £1 billion in sales.

From bank heists and skydiving through to stock trading and yoga, the sprawling world of Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V) is set to redefine the parameters of video gaming on its release next week.

Scattered with flashes of ribald Caledonian humour and in-jokes, the title is the brainchild of Rockstar North, a studio based in Edinburgh’s Greenside Row.

Five years in the making, the game’s development and marketing budget of £170 million is the equivalent of a blockbuster film. Such is the success of the series, industry experts believe its latest incarnation will rewrite the record books, shifting 25 million copies in the first year alone, achieving sales of £1bn.

Confidence in the release is such that shares in Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar’s parent firm, have nearly doubled in value in the past year.

Take the figure with a grain of salt there, it includes marketing budget (probably a very large amount of that £170m)

With movies it is usually the same figure again. Marketing makes up half of many films final budgets. Though I suspect that marketing has not been included in this figure.

Rockstar’s upcoming open-world game Grand Theft Auto V was made on a marketing and development budget of £170 million (or $265 million).