XBLA portfolio chief says demos must be better

Xbox Live’s Worldwide Portfolio Planner, David Edery, has posted an article on his GameTycoon blog on how to maximise the effect of trial games and demos.

Amongst the points raised is that of choosing where to end the trial: not only the issue of making sure it isn’t too short or long, but of making sure that the demo takes place in a section that represents all of the game’s aspects.

Further, Edery says: “Who says a trial needs to end at an arbitrary point, i.e. end of level or after 60 minutes? Why not, after an enjoyable sequence of gameplay events, end with a major cliffhanger – like immediately before battling a particularly cool boss, instead of afterwards?”

For more on Edery’s advice, including making sure the upsell message is strong enough and making sure your demo is immediate, check out the full article.