Gamescom Opening Night Live, happening next week, is one of three big showcases that the unofficial mayor of gaming, Geoff Keighley, hosts each year. It includes glimpses of upcoming releases as well as world premieres of things being revealed for the very first time. But some people have to pay to get their game trailers in the showcase and it can cost a lot. Keighley recently shared some inside baseball about the process and why some games can get in for free.
“One of the things that’s important I think to all of us is that there are games that get selected for editorial value in the show,” Keighley said in a Gamescom pre-brief, according to GamesIndustry.biz. There’s also a lot of independent games that we take. You’ll see many small teams, games made by three, four people, that get selected to be inside of ONL, because we believe in those titles, and we believe in those teams and want to support them.”
Everything in a showcase is essentially an ad, but not everyone showing their game during the event is paying. Last summer, Aftermath reported that the price for a 60-second trailer in Gamescom ONL was roughly $120,000. The rates are even higher for the Game Awards, Keighley’s most-watched annual event. Kotaku reported last December that the rate for a 3-minute spot had hit as much as $1 million.
But not everyone is paying those prices. Keighley also hand-picks the trailers he wants to be in the show regardless. These could be cool reveals for unknown indie games by small teams, or the first trailer for a much-anticipated sequel like Final Fantasy VII Revelation. “Marketing events, just like Gamescom is a marketing event, so you can consider everything in many ways is marketing video games, but there are definitely games that we select for editorial consideration in all the shows,” Keighley told press this week.
He likened Gamescom ONL showcase placement to a digital analogue of the floor space companies pay for to exhibit their games IRL at the Koelnmesse where Gamescom takes place, which costs as much as $235 per square foot. “Everyone wants to tune in to be surprised with something brand new and exciting,” Keighley said. “Companies and partners often earn the ability to have editorial places with the level of news that people are bringing to the show.”
He also reportedly noted that “games that are shipping a few weeks later—that’s more advertisement of a game that [people already know] exists” rather than announcements with news value, suggesting those are less likely to qualify for editorial spots.
The host confirmed that FFVII Revelation, Gears of War: E-Day, and the upcoming Witcher 3 DLC will all be at the show. Since Gears is out in just a couple of months, it’s unclear if that will be falling into the “advertisement” placement category that companies pay for.