Sony Will Reportedly Handle Creating PlayStation Plus Game Demos Itself
Previous reports suggested that the company asked developers to make and release demos for free.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Sony had requested that developers create time-limited demos for its revamped PlayStation Plus service. Launching on June 13, the Game Pass alternative will already offer top-tier subscribers more than 700 titles, but it seems that Sony wanted to entice new subscribers with longer, exclusive demos.
Per this policy, Sony asked developers to release free demos for games that cost over $34 USD. The company shared the news through its internal developer portal, but not as an official announcement to third-party partners, Kotaku reported. The demos would have to be at least two-hours long, shared within three months of the game’s launch, and available to players for at least a year.
Now, it appears that Sony will shoulder the work of creating the demos, utilizing its own PlayStation Store team, according to an update from Kotaku’s Ethan Gach.
“Source tells me PlayStation Store team will create the 2-hour timed trials for developers, so it shouldn’t be extra work, though I’ve heard concerns from others about Sony monetizing a perk and not sharing that revenue with studios,” Gach wrote in a tweet.
Source tells me PlayStation Store team will create the 2 hour timed trials for developers, so it shouldn’t be extra work, though I’ve heard concerns from others about Sony monetizing a perk and not sharing that revenue with studios https://t.co/0fYZZSVQxq
— AmericanTruckSongs8 (@ethangach) April 27, 2022
As Gach said, the reported shift in Sony’s policy may make things easier for developers, but raises the question of whether or not studios would receive revenue from the demos.
In other gaming news, Blizzard will unveil the first World of Warcraft mobile game next week.
