Games are expensive to make, and that includes trailers for certain events. New Esquire a report on Summer Games Fest investigates how much studios pay to create a trailer for the annual showcase hosted by Jeff Keighley.
On the low end, developers will pay $250,000 for a one-minute trailer. The price goes up by length, from $350,000 for 90 seconds to $550,000 for two and a half minutes.
This information hasn’t been transparent before, so it provides some interesting insight into what studios (or their publishers) are willing to pay to see their projects.
Esquire notes that the 2023 Game Awards had a similar pricing structure. However, it’s unclear how short trailers of less than a minute are priced, as well as additional costs when an actor or game creative director takes the stage to discuss the project.
Regardless, it seems like a pretty fruitful endeavor for Kayleigh. The outlet relied on last year’s showing, the main show grossing $9.65 million on trailers alone, which included openings for Mortal Kombat 1 and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.
however, My city added that some major publishers get “earned editorial space” during the main show for free.
The cost of getting your game ready for Summer Games Fest
Speaking to Esquire , an insider said that SGF is “really damn expensive,” which likely explains the price tag of the trailer.
A separate source acknowledged that these costs could be prohibitive for smaller studios, calling the pricing structure “an unachievable goal for most indie developers and publishers.”
Several PR professionals have defended the pricing structure with the big stage lighting benefits Keighley offers. But they also admitted that a trailer can be dulled if it’s too short to make a big impact on viewers.
Conversely, one marketer who spoke to Esquire raised ticket prices for this year’s main SGF show. Earlier this week, the original tickets were still $41, and they pointed out how Jeff can lower the cost of the trailers since he effectively has two simultaneous streams of income.
Earlier this week, Kayleigh announced that the 2024 Summer Games Fest have less brand new discoveries. The statement vaguely talks about the troubles of industry in recent years, and how those cuts have hit marketing teams at various studios.
Esquire’s full report can be read here.