What Happened to Game Demos?
With the recent release of the wildly popular demo for Outriders, a new 3rd person Looter shooter from People Can Fly, it got me thinking; why has there not been a demo like this for so long? While the game itself is not to my taste, it was so refreshing to play a demo that is this transparent with its audience, giving a whopping 4 hours of content, as well as rewards and upgrades that carry over into the main game if you end up purchasing.
While this is quite refreshing, it also made me feel quite sad. How have we got to the point where a game demo is something to be applauded when it seems like not too long ago, it was commonplace? When I was growing up, I used to always buy copies of Official Xbox Magazine, and I still remember some of the demos that convinced me to go and try games that I never would have otherwise.
I still have memories of playing the original Splinter Cell demo for the first time, being stunned at my realization that it was not a shooter, but a stealth game. Being about 6/7 at the time, I did not fully grasp the way that Ubisoft wanted me to play, but it intrigued me enough to continuously replay it. Eventually, I got a bit older and managed to grasp the concept that not every game requires you to go on a mass-murdering spree.
The point is that I probably would have never ventured into the world of Sam Fisher if I did not have that introduction through the demo. The same can be said for many games: Top Spin, Just Cause, Dead Rising and so many more came to prominence with fantastic demos, that almost always launched these games into the public consciousness, often with great results.
So, what happened? Well, part of me feels the growing reign of the internet plays a role. Before, lots of games had to release demos to drum up interest, as it was harder to just look up a game trailer online with crisp quality. To be honest, the same probably goes for why gaming magazines have gone online; what is the point of having something in print when everyone goes online anyway, and the game demo disc has become practically moot, considering that most people now have a decent enough connection to download whole games, let alone demos.
But consider all the controversy over game releases these days, the number of times a product is slammed because it contained shady marketing or mechanics that are nowhere near the level that they were claimed to be. While I accept gaming is bigger than ever now so more of these issues will crop up, it does seem that more and more games upset players now than they ever did. Surely the return of demos would fix this? Release it early enough, and developers could change based on feedback, instead of EA’s tactic of releasing sports game demos 2 weeks before coming out just to drum up hype.
For me though, I hope Outriders makes developers stand up and take notice. The game is getting wide praise and, is going to make People Can Fly a lot more money than if they had not released it. Long may it continue.
