$250k per minute trailer at Summer Game Fest - for independent studios, the prices are astronomical

According to the public relation specialist of Summer Game Fest Jasmine James, unlike the E3 gaming exhibition dominated by Xbox, Nintendo and PlayStation, the festival, and in particular the Play Days event, gives the opportunity to participate for both small and large studios. However, this participation can be very costly.

"These shows are really expensive," said one Esquire insider about Summer Game Fest and Game Awards, which are held and led by Jeff Keighley. According to anonymous sources, showing a trailer during the main Summer Game Fest show this year cost $250,000 for one minute, $350,000 for one and a half minutes, $450,000 for two minutes, and $550,000 for two and a half minutes. The same rates were applied at last year's Game Awards as well.

If you add up all the trailers lasting from one to two and a half minutes that were released during Summer Game Fest last year, it will amount to $9.65 million just for the main show. Of course, last year's prices could have been different, and it is also unknown how much short 30-second stage appearances or longer segments with developers on stage cost.

For many small and independent studios, these amounts are astronomical, sometimes much more than the entire marketing budget for a single game. "Current price levels make Summer Game Fest an unattainable goal for most indie developers and publishers," said a PR specialist representing indie games. But marketing and public relations experts from major studios say that trailer premieres are worth the expense. They impact brand recognition, and long demonstrations are much more beneficial than the shortest ones...

This year, Summer Game Fest also sells tickets for fans to attend the main showcase. Earlier this week on Ticketmaster, tickets were still available for the front row at a price of $41. But even if Summer Game Fest sells out all 6000 seats in the theater at this price, it will only bring in about $246,000 without taking into account reserved seats.

Play Days, a three-day event only for invited media and VIPs, allows studios to purchase a "full package" participation for $150,000 or a meeting space for $50,000. Show attendees move between stands, try out game demos, and interact with developers - and this also brings benefits.

Participation in this exclusive event is free for invited media representatives, but some of them would like Summer Game Fest to be a little more transparent.

"Many aspiring journalists and creators ask me how to get an invitation. When I was just starting out, I immediately went to the official E3 website and applied for a media badge, but I never saw anything like that at Summer Game Fest," says Danny Peña, founder and co-host of Gamertag Radio podcast.

Summer Game Fest will run from June 7 to 10. The festival is expected to feature games such as S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Monster Hunter: Wilds, a possible Mafia 4, and others.