Rockstar’s crime thriller L.A. Noire "could be the biggest budget videogame in development anywhere in the world”, according to Tom Crago, the CEO of Tantalus and the president of the Game Developers' Association of Australia.

“It would certainly... in terms of console titles, be in the top ten... L.A. Noire is a massive, massive project," Crago said at GC Asia 2008, reports IGN.

Earlier this year Rockstar producer Leslie Benzies estimated that GTA IV cost the company approximately $100 million to create, a figure which, if correct, would currently make it the most expensive game ever, topping the $70 million plus development budget for Sega's Dreamcast title Shenmue.

Set in the classic noir period of the late 1940s, L.A. Noire is an interactive detective story in development at Australia-based Team Bondi. According to Rockstar it “blends action, detection and complex storytelling and draws players into an open-ended challenge to solve a series of gruesome murders”. The publisher also claims it will “truly blend cinema and gaming”.

Crago, who hopes that L.A. Noire will put Australia “on the map as a hub for videogame development”, also said that the game is coming to PS3 and Xbox 360 – the title has previously only been confirmed for Sony’s console.

Finally, he said he thought it had about a year left in development.

Rockstar hasn’t released many details about L.A. Noire since it was announced it would be publishing the title. We’ve contacted Rockstar and Team Bondi  to ask when the game might be finished and which platforms it’s due on.