Sony demands time trials for all major PlayStation games as part of PS Plus Premium

pocket-lint.com:

(Pocket-lint) — Sony is reportedly asking PlayStation game developers to create time trials of their new games to offer to PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers.

The new PS Plus tier will be available from June and time-limited game trials are part of its benefits package. Therefore, studios will have to create a trial version of each new release that enables members to play at least two-hours of each new title.

This is allegedly for all games with a wholesale value of $34 or above (around £27) — so essentially every major new release on PlayStation 5 and PS4.

The information comes from Game Developer, which also cites its sources as saying that the new requirements are not retroactive. You won't see a flood of older games getting time trial editions, for example.

And, there is flexibility in the rules, it is claimed. Developers have up to three months after release to have issue their trial version, and time-limited trials can be withdrawn after 12 months of release.

Of course, all of this could impact smaller studios and game creators who aren't operating on large budgets, yet want to releaase their game at a higher price point. Not least that a gamer could choose not to buy a title after a couple of hours play.

Resources to create the time trial might be tight too.

Still, it's only those on the PS Plus Premium tier that will benefit, and considering that it will cost £13.49 / $17.99 / €16.99 per month at launch, it could be a small pool initially.