Update 4/26/22 (2:55 p.m. ET): The $34 threshold appears to have been referencing wholesale pricing, not retail pricing on the PlayStation Store.
What you need to know
- PlayStation previously announced its plans to revamp PlayStation Plus into three tiers.
- The most expensive tier, PlayStation Plus Premium, would offer hundreds of games on demand and limited-time game trials.
- Sources speaking with Game Developer have revealed some stipulations regarding these trials that developers will need to follow.
- The PlayStation Plus overhaul is expected to go live on June 13 in the Americas and June 22 in Europe.
Sony's planned PlayStation Plus overhaul will effectively dissolve PlayStation Now as we know it and combine its game library into premium PlayStation Plus tiers. When the revamp was announced, PlayStation had noted that those who subscribe to its most expensive tier, PlayStation Plus Premium, would be able to access limited-time game trials, but the company did not provide details as to what these would entail. A new report shines light on what players and developers can expect.
Sources speaking with Game Developer revealed that Sony has begun contacting developers to communicate its plans for PlayStation Plus Premium game trials. According to the sources, developers working on games that cost more than $34 will be required to create a game trial of at least two hours. Games less than $34 will not be required to have game trials.
This will likely put extra strain on some studios, but these requirements only affect future releases, so anything already published won't need to retroactively add a trial, and PlayStation VR titles are exempt. Developers will reportedly have up to three months after a game's launch to release its trial, and trials only need to be available for at least one year.
It remains to be seen if studios will welcome these guidelines and how it will affect the development process for smaller teams that may not have the resources to create a dedicated game trial.
The all-new PlayStation Plus is expected to release in June with three tiers available: PlayStation Plus Essential, PlayStation Plus Extra, and PlayStation Plus Premium. Memberships will cost $10/month, $15/month, and $18/month, respectively.
Update
Game Developer has clarified that the $34 threshold for games requiring 2-hour trials is actually referring to wholesale pricing, not the price at retail that consumers would pay on the PlayStation Store.
Wholesale costs refer to the price that the games are sold at to their distributors in bulk.
With PlayStation Plus getting an overhaul soon, now's a great time to pick up a subscription. Those who also have an active PlayStation Now subscription will see that automatically convert into a PlayStation Plus Premium membership.
