Sony To Offer Degradable Demos?

Amy Nelson, Associate Writer

March 5, 2010

In a patent uncovered by Siliconera, Sony describes the idea of a degradable demo. What does this mean? Well, gaming companies have always walked a fine line with demos. If they offer up to much of the game for free, people might just play the free demo indefinitely and never cough up any cash for the actual games. If they don't offer enough content, people won't get caught up in the game enough, and again, won't pay for the full version.

What this yet to be acted on patent describes is the idea of a demo that offers you the full experience of the game, but for a limited time. For instance, you might start up a demo of a game and be able to see and try the game in it's entirety with all levels/characters/etc. unlocked. However, over time, different aspects of the game will disappear or change. A totally boss weapon may turn into a wimpy club, or a buff, high level barbarian might turn into a little girl. The possibilities to restrict play are nearly endless, and endlessly entertaining as well. That enviable Ferrari in your racing game might suddenly morph into a tricycle. The bevy of beautiful babes in the Dead or Alive series could turn into say, your mother-in-law, after three hours of play. Ariel on your little cutie's Little Mermaid game could be instantly transformed into that chain smoking old spinster down the street. Yep, I could go on all day, folks. The possibilities are truly endless.

The question is, though: What kind of effect, if any, would this have on game sales? I, for one, am a fan of the element of surprise, and the idea of seeing the whole game before buying it would kill some of the fun for me. However, I do agree that at times demos are not really indicative of actual gameplay, as they try to cram all the super-fun parts onto a little disc that can't be too super-fun. It is an interesting concept, though, and bears watching for the future. What do you think: sound marketing strategy, or just another way to piss off the consumers?