Actually, that is technically a lie, since how profitable a game is varies from game to game.
Their production cycles, the technology needed to make the game, the publicity costs, all of that add on how much the game needs to make to be profitable.
Most of them actually earn their expenses with the initial sales at price point of $60.
The whole thing of needing DLC, Season passes to be proffitable is a lie.
Besides, the reasons why we have those DLC, Season passes, etc are more in line with
A) You have a lot of artists, animators, designers etc lying around once their work with the game is finished.
So instead of having them doing nothing or laying them off, you put them to work on something to complement the game.
B) People like to feel that the game they are buying is going to be supported after the purchase.
C) Most of the sales for those complementary stuff will come during the launch of the game.
D) If the game is proffitable, the company keeps giving it support post launch since is more cost effective to do that, than making a new game.
E) Is expected now, since we have the infrastructure to keep adding features and content to the game after is launched.
Most of the AAA games that resort to the excuse of needing these stuff to actually make proffit come from companies like EA, Activision, that bloat their costs by doing a lot of stupid shit during the preproduction and production.
Usually is not about breaken even/barely making profit but actually meeting certain quotas since their actual costumers arent the gamers, but the investors. Those companies are expected to meet certain goals of growth, and those expectations are what push costs of production beyond what is reasonable.
And sometimes, is not even that, is about reducing the costs of the production and maximizing the profits.}, which can end hurting the games.
Compare what EA does, with what CD Project Red does.
Comapre Mass Effect Andromeda with The Witcher 3.
Both games are considered AAA, and are in certain way comparable.
The cost of MEA dwarfs the cost of The Witcher 3, despite the later having more polish, more work put into it.
MAE made a proffit with its sales, but due not meeting the expectations got all of its post launch support dropped.
Something simlar happened with Anthem, which the only reason why has not been dropped is because is less costly to keep supporting it (barely) than having a class lawsuit on them because false advertisement.
Or look at DMCV, a game that make bank without needing DLCās or Season passes and is a AAA game with high production values, but made keeping the costs within what is reasonable.
The same with REmake2.
Even Resitent Evil 7, which had its cost high due having the engine developement tied to the developement of the game was a game that made bank with its initial sales without needing DLC.
