PlayStation Plus Premium membership would offer demos of any game that costs more than $34

It seems that Sony wants to increase the interest of its most expensive subscription of playstation plusnamed as Primeand is that although Xbox offers the “first party” games from the day of its launch in its Xbox Game Pass Ultimate service, Sony will not replicate said moveand to try to bridge the gap, or add more interest to their service, it is stated that developers who sell their game for more than $34 will be forced to offer a trial version of your game for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 users.

It really shouldn’t be an effort for the developers, because it would be enough to offer access to the first two hours of play (minimum lead time which seems to be required), and should be accessible for three months after the game is published on the PlayStation Store, and accessible for at least a year after its publication.

Sony will also be open to personalized demos, although these should be specially tested and approved, as some companies will want players to start at a certain point in the story, but if they’re forced to offer at least 2 hours of gameplay, that doesn’t matter. not much sense to start a story without knowing the beginning. As an example, the Resident Evil 8 demo went quite far in the story, even though it offered 60 minutes of gameplay. In a game this big, that 60 minutes leaves the user wanting more, which increases the chances of him buying the game.

“This new policy seems like a mixed bag for all developers considering releasing games on PlayStation. On the one hand, big publishers like Activision Blizzard, 2K Games, or Sony’s in-house studios likely have the resources to make those games. time-limited game trials and are eligible for PlayStation Plus Premium subscriptions.

On the other hand, if your game is priced above $34, you’re probably working with fewer resources than your competition, and two hours can be a big chunk of your game’s content. Smart developers can turn those tests into opportunities. to recruit new players, but if you don’t promise payment at the end, you risk a lot of work for a limited reward.”

via: game developer