Sony Might Require Devs To Offer 2-Hour Demos For Its Premium Subscription Tier
PlayStation’s revamped PS Plus will arrive on June 13 with three subscription tiers. Everyone on the basic subscription will experience no change whatsoever, but getting the top Premium tier will provide users with access to a library of older PS1, PS2, and PSP games as well as game demos, so you can try before you buy.
Sony has informed devs of a new rule that requires game developers to make a two-hour demo in order to even be listed on the PlayStation storefront. According to sources speaking to Game Developer, any games priced at $34 or higher must include a time-limited demo that’s at least two hours long.
Related: PS Premium's Limited Game Trials Are Demos In The Worst Possible Way
This requirement is not retroactive, so games currently listed on PlayStation’s storefront won’t need to suddenly add a two-hour demo. Also, this requirement is apparently being waived for VR games, so the only games that will need to adhere to the new rule will be new standard releases.
Sony is also allowing some flexibility with this game demo requirement. Developers have up to three months to create a demo following their game’s release on the PlayStation store. Demos also must be available for at least 12 months after the game’s release. Sony is open to allowing custom demos if the developer doesn’t want to just snip off the first two hours of a game. Approval of custom demos will be on a case-by-case basis.
As noted by Game Developer, this requirement is likely to be just fine for major publishers and big developers, but for many games around the $34 price point, two hours could be a significant portion of that game’s content. Some players might even be able to beat the game in that time frame. Also, demos aren’t trivial to
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