Once upon a time, game demos were ubiquitous. Heck, for one blissful but fleeting moment in the early 2000s, even Nintendo got used to releasing regularly GameCube Preview Discs. The 3.1 inch diameter discs would provide a handful of trial versions for lively games. But like Heelys, low-rise jeans, Blockbuster, George W. Bush and other ill-considered relics of the era, the game demo fell into oblivion.
However, in recent months it has become clear that the biggest gaming publishers are reviving the art of the demo.
Today, amidst a wave of Xbox news (including the announcement of Game Pass streaming for Samsung Smart TVs), Microsoft has unveiled a program that makes game demos available to Xbox Game Pass subscribers. Called Project Moorcroft, it is still under development and should be launched within the next year. With gaming conferences going digital due to the pandemic, and E3 itself seeing its impact rapidly dwindling, the idea is to replicate the act of testing upcoming games on the show floor at events like PAX and Gamescom.
“We were like, ‘You know what, why don’t we take Game Pass and do it like the show floor?'” Xbox vice president Sarah Bond said in a press conference. “Why don’t we allow developers to take a slice, a level, of their game, publish it to Game Pass, build anticipation for what’s to come, and also get that really valuable feedback?”
Developers who make games available through Project Moorcroft reportedly receive compensation. Microsoft representatives said my box that the payout will be a one-off payment, however, declined to clarify exactly how it works — whether, for example, the exact payment would be the same for all developers or calculated on a sliding scale, based on, say, how many times a demo has been played becomes.
Either way, this is a definite departure from Sony Also Betting big on the demo game is to handle things. This month as part of the pretentious relaunch of PS PlusSony will make game trials available to subscribers of the most expensive tier (PS Plus Premium, which costs $18 per month or $120 per year).
It’s a boon for subscribers, yes, but developers have expressed concerns Reportedly mandated by Sony regarding games developed for PlayStation. Any game above the random appearing wholesale price of $34 must have a two hour demo. These demos must be available for at least one year. It’s unclear whether or not Sony will provide additional compensation to developers who have to put in extra work to create these trial versions. Sony officials did not respond to a request for comment.
The Switch has also seen a huge proliferation of play trials lately. As of this writing, the Nintendo eShop is currently listing 217 game demos— and no shortage of first-party games either. This year alone, Nintendo has made demos available for a number of its biggest first-party games, including the tactical RPG triangle strategythe adventure platformer Kirby and the forgotten landthe football game Mario Strikers: Battle League (coming this week) and the musou heartbreak simulator Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes. (The demo for three hopes will allow you to transfer save data into the main game when it launches later this month.) Last year was no different; Metroid horror, WarioWare: Get it together!and Brave Sally II all have demos.
Sure, the PC gaming ecosystem has always been more open to game demos than the more tightly controlled console storefronts. But, hey, fun point for this blog: Steam’s next festivalwhich provides hundreds of game demos for a week, launches on Monday.
It’s not lost on me how prohibitive gaming is as a hobby, especially considering how tight money is these days. Rent is explodes. inflation has turned basic needs into luxury goods. Video games are fast moving towards a $70 standard, even this year call of Duty fully embrace the new price tag. And all while wages haven’t changed since the GameCube preview disc era. (The $7.25 federal minimum wage has unchanged since 2009.) Game demos don’t make gambling more affordable, of course, but they do provide insight into how you’re spending your money. In the midst of such a hostile financial landscape as this, I accept it.
