Sony Notifies Developers They Must Release 2-Hour Free Play Trials For PlayStation Plus Deluxe: Report

Sony reportedly told developers to create free timed trials of their games for its next highest tier of the new subscription, PlayStation Plus Premium (PlayStation Plus Deluxe in India). These free trials are supposed to last at least two hours. This policy should only apply to games with a wholesale price above $34 (around Rs 2,600). Additionally, developers should only release free game trials for upcoming titles. Previously released games and PlayStation VR titles would be exempt from this new policy.

Game Developer’s report suggests that developers would have up to three months to publish these trials from the date their game launches on the PlayStation Store. They should keep these free trials online for at least 12 months for PlayStation Plus Deluxe and Premium users. Sony is even said to be open to custom game demos. Developers are supposed to still be allowed to release games for free weekends and other promotional offers outside of the PlayStation Plus Deluxe/Premium tier.

Kotaku’s Ethan Gack suggests that these free game trials could be developed by the PlayStation Store team, which could save relatively smaller studios from being overloaded with extra work. Still, concerns remain about the negative impact of these timed trials on game sales. Moreover, it is believed that Sony does not provide any additional benefits to developers for releasing these free trials.

The brand new PlayStation Plus game subscription service has been confirmed to arrive in India on June 22. This three-tier service is divided into PS Plus Essential, PS Plus Extra, and PS Plus Deluxe in India. Globally, regions that support cloud streaming will receive the slightly pricey PS Plus Premium as their top subscription tier, instead of PS Plus Deluxe.