FPS Developers Launch Their Own Showcase After Being Quoted $300K for a Major Event Slot

Gaming showcases are a fantastic way to get your title in front of a wide audience. Major events like The Game Awards, Summer Game Fest, and Gamescom’s Opening Night Live are some of the biggest platforms available, all hosted by the same familiar face. Bulkhead, the studio behind the upcoming Steam Early Access first-person shooter Wardogs, aimed to secure a 60-second trailer spot in one of these prominent showcases.

However, Bulkhead’s CEO Joe Brammer and UI/UX designer Howard Philpott revealed that the cost for just that 60-second slot was a staggering $300,000. Faced with this hefty price tag, the studio opted to create its own showcase, aptly named The FPS Games Show, focusing specifically on first-person shooters.

“We needed to get Wardogs out there, and when we looked at the calendar for upcoming showcases, there weren’t many options,” Brammer shared in a video. Philpott added, “We didn’t want to shell out $300,000 for a 60-second slot, especially when we’d be competing with massive single-player titles and celebrity endorsements.”

While they didn’t specify which showcase they were referencing, it’s likely they were alluding to Gamescom’s Opening Night Live. Wardogs is set to launch on Steam Early Access on Thursday, Sept. 10, while ONL is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 26. They might have been considering Summer Game Fest if the quoted fee is from a few months back, but at that time, Wardogs was only in private playtests, making it too early for Bulkhead to invest in such a large audience.

Interestingly, this fee is lower than the reported $450,000 for participating in The Game Awards last year. This raises some intriguing questions: Is ONL a more affordable option? Have showcase prices dropped in the last eight months? Do fees vary based on the game or the client? While we don’t have the answers, it certainly gives us something to ponder.

Brammer recounted, “We were playing one of our alpha tests, and I just called you and said, ‘What if we set up our own show?'” This idea blossomed into The FPS Games Show, which has already attracted interest from notable titles. “Ubisoft asked if they could be part of this, and having Rainbow Six Siege involved is fantastic for the FPS community,” he said.

Notably, The FPS Games Show has no fees for participation. “No money’s been exchanged; this is all about our shared passion for FPS games,” Philpott explained. Brammer added, “The only rule is that the game must be an FPS and have something exclusive to offer, ensuring everyone benefits.”

Philpott concluded with a light jab at some mainstream events: “It’s a proper showcase. No cringey skits or live music, just FPS games from FPS devs for FPS players.”

You can catch The FPS Games Show live on Twitch at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday, Sept. 3, and learn more on the official site.