Platforms are altering the deal | This Week in Business
Brendan Sinclair
Managing Editor
Friday 29th April 2022
Earlier this week, Game Developer broke the news that Sony has started telling developers about a change to their business.
In order to give its most expensive PlayStation Plus Premium subscription service tier one of its big selling points -- time-limited game trials -- Sony is mandating that any game over a certain price also have such a trial for their game, and it has to be at least two hours long.
STAT | $34 (€33 for Europe, ¥4,000 in Japan) - The minimum wholesale cost above which games will need a time-limited trial.
There are caveats -- the trials need to start within three months of launch, can be pulled after a year of availability, and are not necessary for VR games -- but the end result is basically the same. Any developer that wants to release a game on PlayStation platforms for a premium price now needs to put additional work into it in order to help Sony sell it's most expensive subscription offerings.
Time-limited trials may be a smart move, but Sony's decision to mandate them restricts the studios' ability to design their own launch and marketing plans
Time-limited trials may be a smart move developers should look into more frequently, but Sony's decision to mandate them restricts the studios' ability to design their own launch and marketing plans. The decision to limit them to the top tier of the subscription program also means the company is forcing developers to put in the extra work, but even if the trial winds up being a marketing boon that drives additional sales, it will only be available to a fraction of the installed base.
Regardless of the impact the trials have on each individual game, I imagine most developers would prefer to have it be their
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