Timed trials would allow developers to enable a “free” version of their games, so players can download these titles to test them out on their PC for a set period of time (likely 1-5 hours, depending on the time set by the developer).
When their trial has ended, the player would be greeted with an in-game message, asking them to either purchase the game, or exit and uninstall.
Benefits
- Although the refund system exists, this relies on the player wanting to purchase the game in the first place. Trials would allow for more players to jump in and be more inclined to purchase it, if they enjoyed the first hour.
- Allows for more opportunities to promote games during sales and 24 to 48-hour promotional events, where players can play a game for a set period of time (sometimes known as “Free Weekends”)
- Trials take a lot less resources for game developers to create (usually just an on/off toggle), compared to full demos.
- Trials also provide players with an accurate depiction of the game before they purchase it. So players can know exactly how a game performs before they buy.
- Players who earn achievements during their trial may be more inclined to purchase the game so they can earn the rest of the achievements.
Existing implementations
- PlayStation Plus Premium: Subscribers of the highest tier of PS Plus can try a selection of games for a limited time.
- EA Play 10 hour game trials: EA Play allows subscribers to play up to 10 hours of various games on the service.
- Steam’s “Play 90 minutes of Dead Space”: This seems to be an experiment by Steam, which allows players to download Dead Space and play for 90 minutes before purchasing.
Concepts
