The playable demo is a huge part of game developer marketing. A simple downloadable trial, can be more powerful than any magazine or TV ad campaign. We all remember having to pay £5-6 for that hot-off-the-press games magazine, with it’s irresistible demo CD. Now we simply sign-in to our Xbox Live or PSN account and start downloading them, instead. It couldn’t be more convenient and easy to use…or could it?
A few years back, you could only play demos from official magazines
PSN is currently in need of a little tidy-up and update. The US version of PSN has a clear “Demos” category within it’s main menu. However, after selecting this you’ll notice that your simply presented with an A-Z of PS3 playable demo titles…but what if you’re looking for the latest demo releases?
PSN downloadable demos are great, but lets make them more practical for both gamer and developer
Latest demo additions are essential not only for gamers, but for developers and publishers who wish to market their up-and-coming games. But…if you think that’s bad, the UK version of PSN totally lacks a demo category! Yup, if you’re after a latest or sought-after game demo, you’ll have to scroll through the entire library of PS3 games…and by that we mean every PS3 full game, arcade game, Mini game and demo!
C’mon Sony…
The UK PSN clearly requires a demo category (with latest additions), while the US PSN simply requires exposure of the latest playable releases. These updates are sure to help potential purchasing gamers, as well as developers and publishers (by marketing demos for new releases).
Have you any suggestions for PSN? Let us know via the comments board, below:
a demo cat for the uk would be fantastic!