Devs May Be Required To Include Trials For Games On PlayStation Priced US$34 Or Higher

Video game developers will reportedly be required to create timed game demos or trials for PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers when the new Premium tiers come into effect. Any game that costs US$34 or higher wholesale must apparently have a game trial for Sony’s subscription service that lasts for at least two hours.

According to a report from Game Developer, this requirement does not apply to games with a wholesale price of less than US$34 or PlayStation VR games. Developers will reportedly have up to three months after their games launch to release a timed trial, and timed trials are only required to be available on the service for at least 12 months.

Sony Interactive Entertainment is also open to releasing custom game demos instead of time-limited game trials, as approved on a case-by-case basis. Publishers will still be also free to publish free game weekends, game trials, and custom demos for all PlayStation users.

Sony recently announced its rebranded subscription service and unveiled the three new tiers for PlayStation Plus. It’s set to launch next month in Asian markets (excluding Japan) on 23 May 2022. Japan soon follows on 1 June 2022, with the Americas on 13 June 2022 and Europe on 22 June 2022.