Sony will require developers of certain games to make time-limited trials, according to the latest report. These versions must be at least two hours long, so they can be added to the PS Plus Premium subscription.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
The requirement applies to developers of games that cost $34 or higher (except for upcoming titles for PS VR), Game Developer reported on April 25, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Although Sony hasn’t announced the new policy publicly, a lot of developers found out about it via an update to the company’s developer portal. They also haven’t received any personal notifications yet.
- The new rules apply to only upcoming games, so developers are not required to create trials for their older titles.
- Developers must release a timed trial within the first three months after launching their game on the PS Store.
- These trials are required to be available to users of PS Plus Premium only for at least 12 months. PS Plus Premium is a new subscription tier, which will include not only new games but classic titles from PS1, PS2, and PSP as well.
- Sony will also let certain devs release demos instead of time-limited trials, but they will be approved on a case-by-case basis.
As pointed out by Game Developer, the new policy won’t have a big impact on AAA publishers like Activision Blizzard, Take-Two, or Sony’s first-party studios. However, the requirement to make timed trials might affect developers of smaller games like Kena: Bridge of Spirits and A Plague Tale: Innocence, which are sold at the $39.99 price