PlayStation Developers Must Make Time-Limited Game Demos for PS Plus Premium: Report

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One of the perks of PlayStation Plus’ new Premium subscription tier is the addition of time-limited game trials that allow players to try out select games before they buy. These may turn out to be more plentiful than expected, according to a new report from Game Developer, which claims that any upcoming game that costs $34 or higher must be complemented with a time-limited game trial. Developers also need to ensure that these trial versions are at least two hours long.

Timed game trials are now a requirement for some PlayStation developers (Game Developer)

Games that cost lower than those amounts are not required to create limited-time trials, according to the new policy. The plan follows Sony’s announcement for expanded subscription options for PlayStation Plus.

There is some flexibility as part of Sony’s policy. Developers have up until three months after their games launch on the PlayStation Store to release their timed trial. Trials are also only required to be available to PlayStation Plus Premium users for at least 12 months.

Sony is also open to releasing custom game demos instead of time-limited game trials, but these will only be approved on a case-by-case basis. Developers are also still free to publish free weekends, game trials, or custom demos that can be accessed by all PlayStation owners.

This policy may be frustrating to developers who have limited resources, but it’s excellent news for gamers who plan to subscribe to PS Plus Premium, particularly those who have lost trust with reviewers. The $34 price point also implies that practically all future PlayStation games will include time-limited game trials; there seem to be very few games on the PS Store that fall under this mark.

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Tsing Mui
News poster at The FPS Review.

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