Game demos let you get a feel of what you can expect without making the commitment right away. In an era of gaming where video games can mean forking out $69.99 to over $100 for big-name titles, they’ve never been more useful.
For decades, game demos were a natural part of a release. However, ever since streamers and YouTubers came into the picture, developers have relied on these external parties to do the deed for them. Instead of studios putting forth the effort to make a demo at all, players can simply head online and discover plenty of content to inform their purchase.
And while the video game industry is reeling back on demos, many developers in the iGaming industry let players play for fun with no commitment. Eventually, some of these people become paying customers. For this reason and others, the reality is that there is still a lot of value in demos for the video game industry.
Reason #1: To Generate Excitement
The release of any game comes with a certain level of excitement, whether it’s curiosity for an indie game or a major franchise. No matter how established a game company is, the team should be wary of expecting that excitement rather than capitalising on it. Demos foster that buzz even further, giving those online content creators more to talk about, especially if the demo is released before the full game.
It’s the perfect complement to trailers and other promotional material, and word spreads fast. It only increases the amount of hype surrounding the game and gives people an actionable way to decide whether they’re interested in making a purchase. Game studios can even provide exclusive access to specific influencers or have the demo only available for a certain window to create a sense of urgency.
Reason #2: To Build Trust
Beyond the buzz, there’s something even more important: trust. As so many games are released every week, month, and year, studios want to show that their products are worth investing in. How will players decide whether to pick your truck simulation game over another? With limited knowledge about what they’re getting, it can be a shot in the dark. To combat that, demos are a way to communicate that the company is proud of its work. It signals its willingness to let players play the game with no strings attached, which can be quite powerful.
Moreover, with demos being increasingly uncommon nowadays, offering one sets game developers apart. There’s no need for microtransactions, and players can be more confident they’re getting what’s being sold. Players feel like the studio cares more about whether they enjoy the game than making a profit.
Reason #3: To Reach More Potential Players
More established studios have the advantage of status, a quality that smaller studios or individual developers usually don’t have. Demos can act as that foot in the door, showing them what a studio is all about. If they see a $39.99 price tag from a no-name developer, they might just turn away altogether. In contrast, seeing a free demo might make them curious and consider purchasing the game. It’s like the try-before-you-buy situation that clothing brands and cosmetic companies are famous for—the free sample or tag-on policy, but for video games.
If a game demo gets in the right hands, like a popular streamer, it could mean gaining hundreds, thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of new customers who turn into loyal fans in the long run.
Reason #4: To Get Feedback
Most studios do their due diligence when it comes to internal testing, allowing many sets of eyes and hands to explore the final version of the game. They’ll (usually) do everything they can to ensure things like bugs, physics, and difficulty levels are fine and dandy. But regardless of how many times these internal team members go over everything, it will never live up to real player feedback. That’s because developers and internal testers already have preconceived notions of how the game should play.
Releasing a demo before release provides a one-of-a-kind opportunity to glean first-hand insights from content creators and other players. Maybe people have been talking about a funny glitch in a certain scene or continue to criticise a specific mechanism. Any feedback, no matter how minuscule or extensive, will help developers fix issues they didn’t catch, change parts of a narrative, or improve the overall experience.
Reason #5: To Show What’s Coming
Gamers have all experienced the disappointment of waiting months or years for a game, only to become disappointed by either a cancellation or, almost worse, a game that’s nothing like what the trailers and promo material showed. While game companies can still cancel a game after a demo (even after a release in some cases), demos provide some sort of peace of mind that the game exists and is likely coming out on the expected date.
Studios can highlight the best of the best in a demo, letting players experience top features and the most intriguing parts of a world or character’s story. It acts like the perfect blurb for a cooking recipe or the highlight reel of a game, which is why implementing cliffhangers or teasing a scene or mechanic can really get people talking.
The competition in the video game industry is at an all-time high. Do something people have already done, and they’ll turn their noses up at you. Make innovation the name of the game at every step of the way, however, and you’ll stay ahead of the pack.