Indie devs rally against $100K gamescom trailer fee by posting freely online

Gaming developers are gathering in Cologne, Germany for gamescom showing off trailers for their games, but it doesn’t come cheap. It costs more than $100,000 to feature a trailer on the jumbotron for gamescom Opening Night Live and indie developers aren’t thrilled about it so they’re showing their games for free online. Search the hashtags #gamescom2024 and #indiedev and you’ll find several indie teams with trailers, gifs, and videos of their games. We love featuring indie games at Game Sandwich so we’re sharing a few of the many games posting to social media.

10 indie games that aren’t paying $100K for a gamescom trailer

Access to the internet costs a lot less than a gamescom trailer and game developers are using social platforms to get the word out about their games for free. Along with a clip of their game, they’re using the phrase, “Gamescom trailer is more than 100k dollars, so here is…” with the following endings including “a gif”, “a clip”, or “a trailer”. We’ve compiled just a few of ones that caught our eye which you can find below.

Elsie

Gamescom trailer is more than 100k dollars, so here is a GIF. #indiedev #Gamescom https://t.co/3xbRf3th0O https://t.co/Yqol4FpadL pic.twitter.com/RNSjtoe9w3

— KSG – Elsie Launches Sept 10!😈 (@KnightShiftTeam) August 22, 2024

Developer: Knight Shift Games

Release Date: Sep 10, 2024

Steam Page

Constance

Gamescom trailer is more than 100k dollars, so here’s a 6 sec clip of our indie game💜 https://t.co/60AGPNjnNn pic.twitter.com/KpYme6BxBg

— Constance (@ConstanceGame) August 21, 2024

Developer: btf

Release Date: 2025

Steam Page

Worlds of Aria

Yup, a Gamescom trailer is more than 100k dollars… but instead!!

We can give you a video with Laura Bailey as narrator, how does that sound?

Welcome to Worlds of Aria, a coop adventure game to play with your family & friends, inspired by TTRPGs 🫶🎲#indiedev #gamescom2024 pic.twitter.com/kcc4emkPOp

— Worlds of Aria – Out September 24 on Steam 🎲 (@WorldsofAria) August 23, 2024

Developer: Ludogram

Release Date: Sep 24, 2024

Steam Page

Tiny Tires

Gamescom trailer is more than 100k dollars, so here is a video of my indie game. #indiedev #gamescom2024 https://t.co/XpOKeUvANj pic.twitter.com/pkEctnBlkd

— Jón – making Tiny Tires 🚗🏁 Wishlist now! (@jonkristinsson) August 21, 2024

Developer: Jon Kristinsson

Release Date: TBA

Steam Page

ABYSS X ZERO

A gamescom trailer is around 100k dollars, we would never be able to afford it, so here is a gameplay vid for ABYSS X ZERO!

A 3D Metroidvania with lowpoly graphics inspired by Mega Man Legends and Wind Waker

Wishlist on Steam to support us! (link below)#indiedev #gamescom2024 pic.twitter.com/ZVaIngqtNI

— Tiani Pixel (@TianiPixel) August 21, 2024

Developer: Studio Pixel Punk

Release Date: TBA

Steam Page

Fading Skies

Gamescom trailer is more than 100k dollars, so we paid for ours with our own blood, sweat and tears instead. #indiedev #gamescom2024 https://t.co/jNXiBNQlTJ pic.twitter.com/tCFBpkOi7Y

— Fading Skies ➡️ Kickstarter (@FadingSkiesGame) August 22, 2024

Developer: Distant Blue

Release Date: To be announced

Steam Page

MOTORSLICE

Developer: Regular Studio

Release Date: 2025

Steam Page

MIGHTREYA

Gamescom trailer is more than 100k dollars, so here is a video. #gamescom2024 #MIGHTREYA pic.twitter.com/V40DzphOhC

— Wazen K | Wishlist MIGHTREYA on Steam (@WZN__K) August 22, 2024

Developer: Wazen

Release Date: TBA

Steam Page

SoulQuest

Gamescom trailer is more than 100k dollars, so here is a GIF. #indiedev #gamescom2024 https://t.co/6A3s8lqfml pic.twitter.com/XdSfKtbfPR

— Tomas Pereyra⚔️SoulQuest on KICKSTARTER✨ (@TomasJPereyra) August 22, 2024

Developer: SoulBlade Studio LLC, TomasJPereyra

Release Date: TBA

Steam Page

Shrine’s Legacy

Developer: Positive Concept Games

Release Date:

Steam Page

According to the official gamescom site, there are four payment options a developer could choose when submitting a trailer. We’ve listed them below with the USD equivalent.

• 30 second trailer = $128,602 (115,000.00 EUR).
• 60 second trailer = $184,604 (165,000.00 EUR)
• 90 second trailer = $240,578 (215,000.00 EUR)
• 120 second trailer = $296,523 (265,000.00 EUR)

Gamescom is one of the largest gaming expos of the year. It’s being helmed by host of practically every large gaming expo Geoff Keighley. With the cost of having a trailer shown being so high, it’s no wonder indie dev teams are taking to social media to post about their games. What are your thoughts on gamescom? What indie game are you looking forward to? Let us know when you join our Discord!

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