PlayStation Plus is one of those services that set out to be a great platform where people can enjoy extra services or lots of content for a small fee. Although the subscription fee is far from negligible, such services give many benefits that far outweigh their price. However, PlayStation Plus has failed to be such a platform.
Along with the many blunders that they have committed recently, it seems like PlayStation Plus abandoned a promise they made a while ago. Yes, we are talking about Game Demos, and even though they came with some controversial takes, the promise was made in the Premium plan, but there seems to be no such thing there.
Sony’s Subscription Tiers on PlayStation Plus.Major Points
- It was revealed a few months ago that Sony would make it mandatory for every game developer on its platform to make a demo for games priced above $34.
- The demos were set to be available for Premium users within the first three months of the game’s launch.
- Due to how destructive this was for the game’s initial success and how Sony made it seem, developers were against this idea.
- Now that some games have exceeded the 3-month limit with no Game Demo, we can assume they have abandoned this promise, further aggravating PlayStation Plus.
Sony made it mandatory for the developers to create a 2-hour demo trial for every game above $34. This became controversial as it didn’t help or profit the developers since they were not associated with PlayStation’s Premium plan. Instead, it would most likely destroy their sales.
Sony made the promise, but it seemed like they weren’t doing anything on their side to make it happen. Instead, they were forcing developers to do something they would never do themselves. In addition, they were required to do this within three months of launch, which would be a massive risk for initial sales.
If many gamers could play the game demo through PlayStation Plus Premium, and their initial expressions were not good, they could not purchase it. But it can also be argued that such benefits are reasonable for the highest-priced tier on PlayStation, but it still doesn’t justify the loss it can cause the developers.
If the developers refuse to do so, they wouldn’t be able to have their games sold on the console, which is another huge loss. This lose-lose situation for developers caused much controversy when the initiative was taken. Later reports by Kotaku also revealed that PlayStation Store Team would create the demos for developers(again, forcefully).
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
— AmericanTruckSongs9 (@ethangach) April 27, 2022
But our team at TopTierList has noticed that Saints Row has been out for over 90 days, and since no demo has been made available for Premium users, Sony likely abandoned their plans. So, we may never get game demos as we were told. Sure, we may get it once in a blue moon, but the concept of frequent demos for every game that meets the criteria is not likely at this point.
From the developers’ perspective, it is good since many recent games have had their fair share of bugs, and experiencing them in a demo would lessen the likelihood of someone purchasing the game. But it could be good for players as they have 90 days to ensure the game reaches an acceptable state before purchasing it.
Nevertheless, we can’t help but feel scammed. Sony promised many things, but this and the recent case of no downgrade during Black Friday sales have shown how inferior PlayStation Plus is to other gaming subscriptions.
What are your thoughts on the state of PlayStation Plus? Do you think anyone should ever purchase it for a better gaming experience? Share your thoughts about the platform with us below, and we will get back to you!
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