Tim Sweeney reveals in terms of man years invested, iPhone and iPad game more profitable than Gears of War, believes free-to-play will spur industry growth.

Speaking during the Game Developers Conference in Taipei recently (attended by Gamasutra), Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney revealed that Infinity Blade is the company's most profitable game ever.

Infinity Blade has been a boon for Epic.

"The most profitable game we've ever made, in terms of man years invested versus revenue, is actually Infinity Blade. It's more profitable than Gears of War," he said. The developer further explained that he was "very, very surprised to see how fast smartphone and tablet devices are improving."

In January, Epic announced that the Infinity Blade franchise had raked in $30 million in total revenue, with Infinity Blade II tallying $5 million in first-month sales.

Sweeney's remarks came during a lecture regarding the future of the industry, during which he said growth will be spurred by free-to-play endeavors, much like what is widespread in Asian markets. Sweeney remarked that big-budget games like Call of Duty--which he estimates Activision sinks $100 million per year into developing--are not sustainable.

Infinity Blade developer Chair Entertainment is currently at work on Infinity Blade: Dungeons. Announced by Epic Games president Mike Capps during the new 4G iPad unveiling in March, the game is due out later this year.

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