Are game demos left too late? XBL manager Warns

David Edery, worldwide games portfolio manager for Xbox Live, hasoffered advice to developers and publishers hoping to increase theconversion rates of their demos and trials.
While it might seem obvious to strive to create a quality demo for aforthcoming product, Edery believes that too many teams leave it toolate and releasing a lacklustre effort will only put gamers off buyingthe full title.
"It's surprising how many developers don't think about their game'strial experience until the very last minute of the developmentprocess," details Edery in his latest blog post.
"A downloadable game's trial is everything. It doesn't matter if youlicensed the three greatest IP of all time and fused them into the holytrinity of game design itself.
"If the trial stinks, most people won't bother to lift the curtain on the full experience," he said.
Edery's advice is to not only offer a decent slab of gameplay, butto also intensify the players curiosity by ending the trial on acliffhanger, rather than at the end of a level.
He also suggests capturing the player's imagination at the end oftrial with something other than a list of features from the full game.
"When ending the trial, that upsell screen is (potentially) the lastthing your customer will see. Every other trial is promising "morelevels," "more characters," blah, blah. Why is your game different?”
"If you don't have an answer to that question... maybe trying alittle wit (or something else that's memorable and positive) will help."
More advice and insight on demos, trials and improving conversion rates can read on David Edery's blog here.