Participating in the Game Awards is not something everyone can afford. Every year, publishers and studios have to pay several hundred thousand dollars to make an announcement on this prestigious stage.
The Kotaku website has revealed several indiscretions concerning the organization of the ceremony. For a 60-second trailer broadcast during the 2025 edition, a company can pay up to $450,000. For a three-minute video, the cost would be over a million dollars. These staggering amounts prevent many nominated studios from presenting their future productions.
It’s also important to note that participants in the Game Awards must pay for their seats to attend the ceremony. For example, Sandfall Interactive, the studio behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, purchased a large number of tickets at $300 each. The French company, which received 12 nominations, wanted to send as many people as possible to Los Angeles. But it seems that no special treatment was given to them.
An anonymous source who was there last year confirmed that tickets are sold at full price.
“I was told that the team had been offered two tickets as nominees (these tickets gave access to the red carpet and backstage), and then a link to a page where additional tickets could be purchased was provided.
To my knowledge, this was simply the public ticket page, with no discount or privileged access to reserved seats (e.g., specific seats in the theater).”
One director even mentions spending $700 to get into the theater the year his game was nominated.
