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Sega Europe Partners With GameSessions In Try Before You Buy Game Purchases

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Published: July 29, 2015 4:44 PM

For those who may be unfamiliar with the concept due to the modern day gaming culture, game demos were little samples of gameplay that allowed consumers to test run a game to see if it was to their liking before they decided to make a purchase. That trend in the gaming industry has gone away significantly, despite consumers seemingly still wanting it. Well Sega Europe Ltd may be taking a step towards that, in a partnership with GameSessions. GameSessions runs a service that allows users to download full games quickly and play for free before purchasing. Peter Chan, Business Development Director – Technology and Services at SEGA Europe Ltd indicated that “Partnering with GameSessions gives us access to a delivery mechanism we’ve not previously had access to and allows players the unique opportunity to try SEGA products before purchasing. The partnership will allow SEGA to reach more players in emerging markets such as Brazil and Mexico, where there are a large number of committed PC gamers and this represents a fantastic opportunity to reach new players and audiences.” They add themselves to companies like Nordic Games, Rebellion, and Codemasters to the available games on GameSessions.

Sonic Generations is one game that's on the initial list under the new program.
Sonic Generations is one game that's on the initial list under the new program.

Basically the idea here is that the consumer will get an allotted time to demo the game before deciding whether or not to purchase it. The game is full in its nature, and the user will be able to extend the trial using an in-game option if they want to play more, which would be the equivalent of renting the game. Included from SEGA's collection of games for this services is Football Manager 2015 (which allows 3 hours of Demo time), Company of Heroes 2: Adrennes Assault (4 hours), Sonic Generations (1 hour), and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (1 hour).


Quick Take

Now, since this is using Steam, and since the introduction of Steam refunds, some people may have used the service as a mechanic to test out a game to see if they buy, however, it's questionable what the limit on returns is for that case in terms of "abuse". And in some cases, the trial periods for the games go beyond the 2 hour limit mentioned in the Steam Refunds pageI don't plan on using the service myself, but I can see the appeal on it. 

Does this give you a reason to try those games in question using a service like GameSessions, or with the Steam Refund system now in place, does this give you less incentive to use a service such as this? Leave your comments below!

Shaun Joy TechRaptor
| Former Video Lead

YouTuber Dragnix who plays way too many games, and has a degree in Software Engineering. A Focus on disclosure on Youtubers, and gaming coverage in general… More about Shaun