Have you ever wondered how much it costs publishers to showcase a trailer at Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest Opening Showcase? Thanks to Esquire (via Eurogamer), we now know—and it’s not cheap. A one-minute trailer costs $250,000, adding 30 seconds raises the price to $350,000, two minutes will set publishers back $450,000, and two-and-a-half minutes costs a whopping $550,000. However, for major publishers like Ubisoft or Sega, who featured prominently at last year’s event, these costs are manageable.
“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.”
Nintendo’s absence from the event is notable and financially understandable. Reports suggest that big reveals or high-profile developers might bypass these fees. If Nintendo were to unveil something significant like a new Mario game. it’s likely Geoff Keighley would accommodate without charge, rolling out the red carpet and promotional swag. The 2024 Opening Showcase will be broadcast live today at 2pm PT / 5pm ET / 10pm BST / 11pm CEST.
It was reported that he doesn’t charge any cent to kojima…Peak NEPOTISM.
Seems outrageous, until you remember that at E3, they charged millions for booth space. $15k for 20mbps internet (a single line, more if you wanted a router) and they even charged $50 to RENT a 3″ plant.