Load the Game Video Games, Reviews, Game News, Game Reviews & Game Video Trailers
Microsoft has announced that games on the Xbox One can now use the trail system that was common on the Xbox 360. Previously the console only allowed for demos. However, these are separate titles from the actual games themselves and force developers to spend time putting them together. They also mean gamers have to make two separate downloads if they like a game and then want to purchase it. With the new system, developers and publishers will be able to offer trials of their games. This allows players to download the full game and try out a small portion of it. If they like it, they can then pay to unlock the rest of the content.
Speaking to Eurogamer, the Xbox One ID@Xbox boss Chris Charla explained the change had become about because of player feedback. “When Xbox One launched you could do game demos and you could do games. But we didn’t have the functionality that was on Xbox 360 – that ‘trial’ experience where you could download a demo and then convert it [to the full game],” said Charla. “But now we do. In the same way that we update the Xbox One OS every month, they update the development system every month – or regularly, anyway. So that’s something that we recently turned on. I don’t think we’ve seen any ID@Xbox games yet that have shipped with trials, but we may well in the future. It’s something that’s open to everybody.”
Microsoft had previously said that they would look to add the functionality in the future. Although there currently aren’t any games using the new trial system on the Xbox One, any developer or publisher is free to do so in the future. It is likely that some will take advantage of it, as it was a useful way of giving players a taste of their game at little expense. Something that indie developers in particular could find useful.
