Update: Publisher Private Division has sent us a statement on Rollerdrome’s trial time discrepancy: “The PS Store page displays a one-hour estimation for Rollerdrome's PS Plus Premium Game Trial length,” a spokesperson said. “The actual play time limit for the trial is 35 minutes which provides an introductory experience akin to a demo. We encourage anyone who is interested in Rollerdrome to give it a try.”
Based on the statement, we pondered whether Rollerdrome was just tracking gameplay towards the 35 minutes, so decided to check it out. After accepting the privacy policy and sitting on the menu for a couple of minutes, we observed that we only had 32 minutes of our trial left. Therefore, you’re definitely only getting 35 minutes with the software open.
Make of it all what you will!
Original Story: The only perk for PS Plus Premium members in August is a one-hour full game trial of exciting extreme sports shooter Rollerdrome – except the company is actually only offering 35 minutes. We downloaded the trial, which is clearly marked as a full one-hour for members of the platform holder’s most expensive subscription, but upon loading the game were informed we could play for just 35 minutes. Many others have illustrated the same issue.
It’s likely that this is just an error, and will be rectified in due course – but it’s yet another example of the company’s carelessness. Last month, it took several days for the manufacturer to allow members to download Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, after the PS4 version had previously been given away. We understand mistakes can occur, but there’s an overall sloppiness to the PS Store these days that tots up over time.
We’ll contact the company and update should this be resolved. In the meantime, don’t let this deter you from trying out the game – we reckon it’s ace.
Comments 73
Let's hope they fix this soon.
Also, Is it supposed to be one hour from downloading, or one hour from when you start the game ?
@GoodGame It's only meant to count when you have the game open.
All good. Will try it after work or over the weekend when it's fixed.
Was thinking about buying this game. Looks fun.
@get2sammyb OK, thanks.
The game trials have been quite a bust in general. There have been plenty of games priced $34 and up since the launch of the service, but only a small fraction of those actually have trials - despite the supposedly mandatory nature of them.
I do recall that developers had something like a 2 or 3-month period after launch to deliver the game trial, but in practice (if all devs do come through) it means you won't be able to try almost any new game just as it releases, which was supposed to be the main draw of the feature.
And the L's for PS Plus Premium keep rolling in
The Premium tier is such a scam, I feel bad for anyone who opted for it.
And so many Premium exclusive legacy titles this month!
I mean, trials should be standard in all games and available to all, but to offer less than an hour (less than advertised no less) to people who pay top dollar is beyond a joke.
The PS Store has always been sloppy it isn't anything new. Back in the day EU game releases would never be up on time while the USA was always prompt. It would sometimes take days for mistakes to rectified. Whenever there is a showcase or presentation and they say "Game is available to download NOW" I know it wont be up on the EU store for upwards of 6 hours.
Sony should have got this on the service as a Day 1 addition. These are the sort of games (low cost, high rating) that Gamepass has built its library on.
I was willing to let Premium off for a bit to let it get better but it has been an absolute joke so far
While Extra delivers with a steady list of games so far Premium barely gets anything that makes it worthwhile and the fact there's nothing this month, let alone another screw up with the PS Store is just disappointing
They need to not only sort out the PS Store but Premium cause it's feeling like a scam right now
Premium has been truly dire so far. I’m about the only person who appreciates the streaming PS3 games and I still think it’s a bit of a con.
Premium is another stark reminder that PlayStation would be a complete joke this gen if it wasn't for their exclusive games. How are they this incompetent when it comes to something that should have been an easy win?
I still dont understand why game trials are considered a premium benefit. You'd have thought more people having access to demos increases market opportunity to make a sale
@Gaia093 They're not mandatory. That was only nonsensical rumors published by sites like this. Publishers have to allow their games to be on the trial service and most don't since they think it negatively impacts sales.
@Atreus97 I have it by default because I had Plus and Now together. I've dropped to the basic Plus now, but it takes effect in 2024.
I remember a few months back when I think most of us were under the impression game trials was going to be for every game on psn...the proposition of that was pretty damn tantalising, and would have been a huge plus in favour of Sony's highest tier...
As disappointing as premium is it kinda makes sense now why 'extra' is such a cluttered mess with premium only games littered throughout the games catalogue. The constant hard sell of premium throughout the experience of 'extra'.
Its such a shame streaming is locked behind the premium service...but then that's probably its number one selling point at the moment.
@Dudeman1 It was once going to be mandatory, but that's not the case anymore.
I’ve seen people mention this and apparently it does say 35 minutes when you open the game for the 1st time but actually lets you play for 60 as advertised. A confusing bug that should be fixed asap but not that big of a deal.
@Voltan nope, within minutes of playing the game you get a warning you only have 30 minutes left - it is only giving us 35 minutes.
What's annoying is the tutorial in mandatory and takes about 10 minutes to complete, using up 1/3 of the trial time
Sony never ceases to amaze!
I have premium due to jumping on a PS Now cheap deal in addition to the old PS+. So far Premium is a disappointment. Yes it may build and get better, but this is a service people are paying for now. Typical bodged launch by Sony. Extra is great value however, but 5 point is the top tier is tested like an afterthought. Wooo 35 min demos and no new games. Rubbish.
@Dudeman1 imagine having so little faith in your own game that you don't want people to try it for even an hour before deciding to purchase it
could it be that the developer only set up about 35min of demo/trial time?
either way, if it can be deemed to be a fun/good game within that time frame then it's all good. but all opinions are welcome, of course.
@Rob3008 Stocked up on 6 years worth. Let’s just say I got mixed feelings about that decision now… haha.
@Jaz007 That was 100% rumor and never confirmed by any reputable source. Sony can't force publishers to put their games on their trial service. The service literally says "trials for the biggest games" and never mentioned anything about all games.
I thought they were all meant to be 2 hours as a guideline and had to be offered in a time frame?
Edit:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.polygon.com/platform/amp/23042769/playstation-plus-premium-free-trial-demo-game-development
The Pushsquare review said the game was roughly 3 hours long, therefore no need to have a trial that long!
Sony: 😄 1HR TRIALS AND DEMOS!
Devs/pubs: 🤨 dafuq you say?!
@hoffa007 That was never officially stated by Sony and was just a rumor going around via "insiders."
@Dudeman1 When Sony annouced the PS4 they literally said all games would have and be required to have a 1 hour trial or something similar. Obviously it didn't happen, but yes, Sony has said this in the past. I don't know about more recent times like with Extra and Premium, but Sony has 100% said that before on stage.
Thanks, Sony!
It's obvious now that Premium was just designed as a way of parting fans who wanted back compat with their money, because they're most likely to pay it.
I upgraded for like, £20 until Dec but there's no way I'm keeping it at this rate.
Also, the Rollerdrome trial being 35 mins is a) terrible and b) still enough time to experience how cool this game is
@Smash41 I remember the early days of plus where the eu update was the first Wednesday of the month but the US one was the first Tuesday, that was until Wednesday was the first of the month and we were told we had to wait till after the Americans. The outrage that month.
Never liked the idea of game trials. Don't want to flood my trophy list with games I potentially won't buy anyways.
Square Enix has been really good releasing Demos where you can transfer the save to the full game. That's the way to go.
For whatever reason I pay just 10 bucks for premium and it seems to be ongoing.. (I had ps now monthly b4 w/o a plus subscription...) so I don't really care xD but yeah I was slightly irritated about the 35 minutes trial which I didn't use completely xD game is pretty cool, but I'll wait for a sale. And yeah Sony should get their sh*t together...
"The only perk for PS Plus Premium members in August"
You mean the only new perk. I'm not interested in Premium but it has slightly more going for it than just this one demo.
@tomassi I don't think that's the case at all. Some games, just like movies, start with a bang, whereas others start much slower for a variety of reasons. If you were to play the latter for an hour, you most likely wouldn't be impressed and move on to something else.
Just like Tiktok videos, which are free to watch, if they don't immediately catch your attention, you skip them. But if you buy a movie, it's more likely you'll give it a try even if it doesn't amaze you from the first minute.
I've caught myself downloading games from ps+, playing them for a minute, getting frustrated for some reason and immediately deleting them, whereas I've never done that with games I've bought.
@Smash41 Remember one time that there was a sale on SCEE store (back when it used to be called that) which wasn't even advertised in email or with a banner. The items were literally just on sale. You had to discover yourself.
OOF
Yeah, i was wondering if id accidentally launched the game when i saw 35mins pop up.. not good
Chumps, we got your money byyyeeeee
Sounds like Jim Ryan's PlayStation alright.
I'm a PS Plusser since June 2010 and haven't bothered with either new tier yet. I keep telling them on the blog but they just do not care anymore.
@CheekyMonkey I think that sounds quite reasonable? You still have 20 minutes to experience the game isnt that enough to know what you are playing? And no u only have the base PS Plus physical as always.
Brilliant game and its only £16.50 with ps plus discount. Take the plunge... Its worth every penny!
@tomassi Maybe its a smaller game or a little shorter then normal game its kinda a d### move to make that assumption without backing it up.
MS: Play new games day 1 for $10 a month
Sony: Try out some new games for $18 a month for like an hour, maybe less lol
@Gamer128 I know all those amazing day 1 games like The Gunk and Window Washing Simulator! I'd take Shadow Warrior 3 and Stray over those.
@Dudeman1 what's wrong with The Gunk?
@Cherip-the-Ripper it's a 2 hour pretty bland game.
@Dudeman1 yeah because only 2 day one games show up on game pass... you're just missing only about 100 more
@Gamer128 LOL yeah there hasn't even been 50 total. MS releases about 2 first party games a year.
@Dudeman1 maybe for this year alone but that's still way better Sony's measly output
@Gamer128 Uh what? They've put out at least double the amount of games MS has since the new console launch. Halo and Forza are literally the only first party "exclusives" the entire last two years.
@Dudeman1 I get what you're saying but it's not like plenty of people have said the same about Stray. Even worse on this very site haha
@Dudeman1 we are talking about day 1 releases for Plus and game pass are we not? Stray and maybe one or two others are the only day one additions for this year. That's pitiful
Premium has left a sour taste and my trust in Sony is diminished. I suspect it will be the same for many.
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Premium is dead. By this time next year I guarantee Sony will drop support for this, and its only there fault. This new Sony is so piss poor at managing things that people are starting to get annoyed and hate the company again. Its the PS2 to PS3 switch all over again. These company's have no idea how to manage success. Problem for Sony here is I think if they lose there audience again here like they did during the PS3.That their is no return to greatness for them with what team green is offering on the other side of the fence.
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Having played the trial, I thought the 35 minutes was sufficient for a try-out without playing too much of the game. Sony should have advertised it as much though. 1 hour vs 35 minutes is a very poor
'estimation.' Especially since it's the ONLY thing Premium is offering this month. Sony simply must to improve this tier in September if they have any hope of digging their way out of the PR hole they've put themselves in. An answer to GamePass this is NOT.
Anyone that pays for the “Premium” PS+ is getting ripped off. Sony is a total joke.
Estimation? Err yeah that needs to stop immediately, if it's a limited time trial it needs to be clearly stated how long it last 🤦 absolutely disgusting from Sony.
Sorry, I don't care what the developer or Sony says. It was advertised as an hour. So make it an hour and don't say it's just an estimation. A 25 minute difference doesn't qualify as falling short of an estimation. That's too big of a difference.
Honestly, it doesn't matter to me as I'm passing on playing this (don't play games with ridiculous difficulty spikes as I play to have fun, not to throw my controller). It's still a bad look for both Sony and the developer though.
Why 35 though? Why not either 30 or 60?
35 appears to be a specific decision so I do wonder.
35 mins was enough to get to the shotgun level (I wasn't very fast) and convinced me to make the purchase.
Perhaps an hour was too long demo time and might be where the difficulty spike occurs for some, therefore putting them off.
I also saw on PSN it now says trial is 35 mins so they've updated that.
Shame the communication couldn't be correct in the first place, however it's a great game and currently a third off for PS+ subbers.
it would have felt better if premium got the tutorial and the first match as a demo , we can play as much as we want ..
i think it was good but learning the mechanics ate up most of my time with the game.
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