The PlayStation Plus Premium subscription would offer demos of any game that costs more than 34 dollars

It seems that Sony wants to increase the interest of its most expensive subscription of PlayStation Plusnamed as Premiumand it 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 movementand to try to reduce the gap, or add more interest to their service, it is indicated that developers who sell their game for more than 34 dollars will be obliged to offer a trial version of your game for both PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 users.

This really shouldn’t be any effort for the developers, as it would suffice to offer access to the first two hours of play (minimum time that 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 one year after its publication.

Sony will also be open to custom demos, although these would have to be specially tested and approved, as some companies will want players to start at a certain point in the story, but if they are forced to offer at least 2 hours of gameplay, it doesn’t make much sense to start a story without knowing the beginning of it. As an example, the Resident Evil 8 demo went pretty deep into the story, even though it offered 60 minutes of gameplay. In a game this big, those 60 minutes leave the user wanting more, which increases the chance that they will buy the game.

“This new policy appears to be a mixed bag for all developers planning to release games on PlayStation. On the one hand, larger publishers like Activision Blizzard, 2K Games, or Sony’s internal studios probably have the resources to create these games. time-limited game trials and can benefit from PlayStation Plus Premium subscriptions.

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

via: GameDeveloper