Game trials will be required for some games on the PlayStation Store
Titles $34 and over on the digital storefront must have limited game trials that are at least two hours long
Sony has issued a new policy, which states that titles $34 or higher must include limited game trials and at minimum run for two hours.
As reported by GameDeveloper, the platform holder has begun communicating the update with creators.
A game trial allows consumers to experience the full game, but it's only playable for a certain period of time.
The change follows Sony's announcement for its expanded subscription services for PlayStation Plus.
Game creators will have a period of up to three months following a title's launch to also release a game trial on the PlayStation store.
Gamedeveloper's report also said that this new policy may present a problem for smaller studios.
Larger AAA companies will likely have resources readily available to meet these requirements, whereas mid to smaller tier companies may struggle.
It’s basically requiring countless man hours across every studio to duplicate the exact same work that could and should done once at the firmware level
If it was a separate demo build, ok - it should be crafted to specific products at the studio level (although it’s more work)
But as it’s just a time boxed full product it should be done in the firmware IMO