Sony is reportedly requiring developers to include game demos for some games as part of their incoming revamp of PSN service tiers. n a post on the PlayStation internal comms, Sony announced more details about the plan. Things are about to change a lot. According to a report by Game Developer, this mandate for time-limited game trials was apparently sent to developers through Sony’s developer portal.
The idea is that most AAA games and pricier titles will be required to submit a demo version to Sony. Sony is requiring some developers to release PlayStation Plus Premium timed demos for gamers who wish to test games before they buy. The goal is to let Sony have a few more appealing advertising baked into the platform. This will all be in addition to free weekends and other promotional periods that Sony regularly uses on their platform.
With the three pricing tiers coming to the new version of PlayStation Plus, there’s a lot of money riding on this gambit. With the first launch due in Asia in just a few weeks, things are likely pretty chaotic over at Sony as devs and publishers rush to get their games and ports ready for primetime.
Games over $34 will now offer a free two-hour trial to PlayStation Plus Premium members. This will help appeal to more gamers, as they might be willing to pay for the feature, in addition to the other bonuses added as part of the PSN revamp. PS Plus Premium members will have to pay the highest prices, but get the most benefit. In addition to the on-demand gaming features and online play elements, the demos will be two hours long in length, allowing plenty of play to test out the newest games.
One important distinction about this pricing is that it applies to the wholesale price, not retail. So that means only games usually above the $40 mark or higher will be asked to hit this goal of a free demo.
As for what kind of gameplay may be shown in these demos, that’s a bit up in the air. Developers may, with Sony’s approval, release custom game demos that are less representative of the final game. That may be done with games that are heavy on story, and wish to avoid spoilers.
