The 2025 Game Awards premiered Thursday, December 11th. Say what you will about the execution, but Geoff Keighley seem earnest in his attempt to celebrate gaming. Between musical performances, awards, and announcements, there’s a lot to be excited for. It is not without its criticisms, and while I tend to be more positive toward the event, I found something truly saddening. The cost for devs to get airtime at the prestigious award show is staggering, and honestly, not friendly to the already-struggling industry.

According to sources cited in a Kotaku, article, the price for airing a trailer for the Game Awards can range from $450,000 for a one-minute trailer to over one million dollars for a three-minute trailer. Although these sources claim the prices “sounded in line” with expectation, the high price tag is frankly, quite shameful. Layoffs and shutdowns have plagued the video game industry for several years now. In 2024, approximately 15,000 known jobs were lost. In fact, from 2022 until this year, we’ve seen almost 45,000 layoffs. While the COVID pandemic in 2020 didn’t help, we’ve seen this “bloat” of sorts, with pressure to crank out games and costs of development and marketing skyrocket.

Geoff Keighley has previously been criticized for not using his platform to address industry concerns, although he made some sincere attempts last year, and although the Game Awards do plenty of good, I am incredibly disappointed in the price gouging. The Game Awards can set a precedent or initiate change by making it affordable to all studios to showcase their games. AAA studios may be able to afford a million-dollar trailer, but what about those indie devs that work tirelessly day and night to craft a playable work of art? This cost barrier is not industry friendly. I understand this is still a business, and I’m sure Keighley needs all the money he can get to pay for all the flash and gitz the show needs; however, it is still a choice.

I firmly believe there is a fine balance one can obtain between business-savvy and doing what’s right for the industry. The ridiculous advertisement price tag is a premium that no one needs right now, and we need to rely on people like Geoff Keighley who have the clout and finances to make a difference. One million dollars for a three-minute trailer is bloat at its finest.

On the other hand, we have someone like Ben Starr, renowned voice actor. He has smashed his way to stardom in various roles such as Clive Rosfield in Final Fantasy XVI and most recently, Verso in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. He has spoken out more than once about his concern for the industry whenever he has a chance (which is often given his long list of awards won). An avid gamer himself, Ben even helped promote Balatro. He even accepted awards on behalf of LocalThunk, once dressed up as Jimbo himself.

Will I still watch it? Of course. As a member of the press and an avid gamer, I want to be able to celebrate games whenever possible; however, I also feel it is important to have these tough discussions and ask why?

Game Awards, you can do better.

Boss Rush Gamescast – A Gameplay Deep Dive Discussion Podcast

Boss Rush Gamescast is the gameplay deep dive discussion podcast from Boss Rush Network. Every other week, a panel of hosts and friends from across the internet take a deeper dive into the games they’ve been playing—featuring light spoilers, fun segments, and great conversations. New episodes drop every other Tuesday, with Patreon members getting early access one week in advance.

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Sources: Insider Gaming 1, Insider Gaming 2, Kotaku, MSN