Valve has quietly introduced 90-minute game trials to Steam, with the feature making its debut in conjunction with EA’s Dead Space remake.
Accessible via the Dead Space remake’s Steam page, the new 90-minute trial version requires players to first install the full game then hit the “play now” button to begin their free trial period, whereupon a timer will keep track of the minutes still remaining.
There doesn’t appear to be a progression cap on the trial, meaning players are free to continue as far as they can before their hour and a half expires.
Presumably the feature is intended to fulfil a particular gap in Steam’s marketing arsenal, providing a formalised way to trial the kinds of linear, longer-form titles such as Dead Space that wouldn’t ordinarily be suited to the extended free weekends already available on Valve’s store – and all without a publisher needing create a bespoke demo beforehand.
Valve hasn’t yet discussed, or even acknowledged, the new 90-minute free trial – which is so far only available for EA’s Dead Space remake – on its Steam blog, so it’s unclear what its wider plans are for the feature right now. It seems likely this is all a bit of an experiment, with the Dead Space remake being high-profile enough to suit Valve’s research needs.
Regardless of how the feature might roll out in the future, the current Dead Space 90-minute free trial will remain available until Monday, 29th May. It coincides with a 20% discount on the remake, bringing the price down to £39.99, which ends on the same day.
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