Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest begins this weekend and people around the world are excited to see all the trailers and teasers. And a new report, corroborated by Kotaku, reveals the high price it costs publishers and devs to show their games at the event.
On June 7, Summer Game Fest 2024 kicks off with a large streaming showcase featuring new trailers for upcoming games. The yearly showcase has become more important for the video game industry after the slow death of E3, the previous big summer event where new games would get teased and revealed. Millions of people will be tuning in on Friday to see what’s coming next. And if you want to be a part of all this, you just need to spend a few hundred thousand dollars.
As first reported by Esquire on June 6, the costs for getting your game’s trailer into Summer Game Fest’s main show this year start at $US250,000 for 1 minute, $US350,000 for 1.5 minutes, $US450,000 for 2 minutes, and $US550,000 for 2.5 minutes. Kotaku was able to verify these and other numbers via a non-public document obtained via a source connected to the event.
“These shows are really fucking expensive,” one insider told Esquire.
In the document obtained by Kotaku, the money spent on a trailer airing during SGF’s kickoff event also includes a set number of social media posts from the official SGF account. 1-minute trailers get a single post, 1.5-minute teasers get two posts, and 2 minutes or more get you three.
Not every trailer comes at a cost. Those considered “earned editorial placements” are played for free, and are likely reserved for big reveals from massive companies like Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft. Part of what other, smaller developers are paying for is likely the chance to be showcased alongside these bigger games and the eyeballs they draw.
Updated: 06/6/2024, 2:05 p.m. ET: After the publication of this story a handful of indie publishers and developers contacted Kotaku and explained that some “free slots” are provided to smaller, non-AAA games and studios. It appears that Keighley is sometimes pitched games to include and he provides some free airtime for these projects as part of the “earned editorial placements” previously mentioned.
Other Summer Game Fest 2024 prices
Elsewhere in the SGF 2024 document obtained by Kotaku are prices for booths at Summer Game Fest. For a biz dev partner badge, granting access to the show on June 10 only, you’ll have to be approved and pay $US500.
A private meeting cabana—which includes seats for up to six people, table service, free parking, and six SGF badges—will cost you $US50,000 for all three days or $US20,000 per day.
Finally, you can purchase a “Full Hands-On Pod” which includes four
large HDTVs, seating, credenzas with locked storage, signage, six SGF badges, and free parking. However, SGF also lets publishers and developers spend more on custom venues or spaces which can include features like bars, outdoor seating, tented parking, and sponsored lounges.
“The current pricing tiers make Summer Game Fest an unattainable goal for most indie developers and publishers,” a PR agent who represents indie games told Esquire.
However, others who spoke to the outlet did suggest that the high prices are worth it.
“As far as general brand awareness, the impact is pretty huge. The caveat here is that it depends on the placement and trailer length. Longer slots perform better and seem to drive more coverage, whereas short trailers don’t capture quite the same attention,” another PR professional told the outlet.
As Summer Game Fest and Keighley’s winter E3—The Game Awards—continue to grow and become some of the biggest video game industry events in the world, it’s becoming more and more important for publishers behind increasingly expensive video games to be a part of the shows. Esquire reports that these prices are similar to what was charged at last year’s Game Awards. And so, publishers and devs pay the price to play, hoping the millions watching the events will pre-order, wishlist, or just talk about their new video game.
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