If you're curious why game development costs have gotten so high, there's a super detailed breakdown that covers everything--genre comparisons, dev stages, staff wages, and even platform differences. It really shows how complex (and expensive) making a game can be today. Whether you're planning a project or just love behind-the-scenes stuff, it's worth checking out.
Here's the link:
https://retrostylegames.com/blog/games-cost-to-make/