Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Paid with trial
Offering a trial with your game is a great way to entice the players in. Obviously, it gives
them a taste of your game before they commit to pay for it.
Tip
Be honest about the trial though; there have been many cases of annoyed players where
games were published for free but were actually limited trials. Do not upset your potential
buyers; be upfront about it.
You still need a good presence with your marketing and storefront, but the trial is also an-
other great option to draw them in.
When going down the trial route, be sure to pick a single path and stick to it, either by
limiting the game, offering so many levels, or even having a time-limited play. Just don't
mix them!
Another factor in offering trials is that each platform you deploy to may have a different
way of providing it, either directly from the marketplace or through marketplace APIs. It's
best to design how your game will behave in a trial and link that to a flag or option. You
can then control the game separately from the menu or check the game on startup.
