Killzone 2 demo due day before launch

By Robert Purchese Published 16 January, 2009

In the US. Still no word on Europe.

Sony America plans to offer a Killzone 2 demo to the general public on Thursday 26th February, a day before the confirmed US release.

Previously the PS3 sampler had been restricted to GameStop pre-orderers, which are rewarded with an access code to download the Killzone 2 demo on 2nd February.

"Offering a playable demo to motivate pre-orders speaks to our confidence in the appeal of a game such as Killzone 2. We take this approach when we are convinced that the experience will cement a consumer's interest in purchasing," Scott Steinberg, Sony US marketeer, told MTV Multiplayer.

"We also offer demos on PSN, which we have done in the past with great success, and will continue to make that available. Killzone 2, for example, will have a downloadable demo launch in North America the week that the game is launching, for consumers who prefer that option."

Sony Europe has yet to tell us when Killzone 2 or the Killzone 2 demo will appear here. We're also awaiting confirmation of a PS3 Killzone 2 bundle. Apparently we like the dark.

But we're chasing and will let you know when we do.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (36) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • jonsaan #1 3 years ago

    Just to clarify: Here is the official plan for EU:

    Fuck off, can't be arsed. Many thanks.

  • jonsaan #2 3 years ago

    A baffling decision. Should Sony not be getting this demo out to as many people as possible? Not just those that will buy it anyway?

  • Ryze #3 3 years ago

    Poor show.

  • the_dudefather #4 3 years ago

    At least I will be able to try it out, even If I have to use a US account

  • NotSoSlim #5 3 years ago

    Did Gears 2 have a demo?

  • lambtron #6 3 years ago

    No but Gears 1 was a massive success ;).

  • homerramone #7 3 years ago

    I really with the PSN downloads all had demos much as the xbla ones do... Yes I know boxed games dont, and they cost way more.. but if they suck balls, you can trade em in !!

  • Goodfella #8 3 years ago

    Yet another big fuck you to European PS3 owners. It's about time they stopped pandering to the tight-arsed yanks and focused on us EU folk more.

  • Fab4 #9 3 years ago

    Fucking disgrace if its not released on the same day in Europe...although I'm not surprised, both Sony and M$ screw us on a regular basis.

  • Bigglesworth #10 3 years ago

    Chill out! This story comes from a quote from SCEA marketing bod, he doesn't know jack about what SCEE are or aren't doing.

  • Goodfella #11 3 years ago

    Yeah but it's always the case that we hear nothing from SCEE.

  • Les #12 3 years ago

    "It's about time they stopped pandering to the tight-arsed yanks and focused on us EU folk more."

    It's about time 'we' in Europe adopted a single language, true single VAT laws as well as a host of other legal measures... The European market is fractured and much more complex than the US and Japan. It might be labeled as a single territory like the other two but that doesn't paint the true picture.

  • Goodfella #13 3 years ago

    ^^I'm fully aware of that, the point is we are a very large market and if I'm not mistaken the PS3 is more popular here than anywhere else?

  • NotSoSlim #14 3 years ago

    Havent Sony said they will release a demo in europe on PSN?

  • Les #15 3 years ago

    "the point is we are a very large market and if I'm not mistaken the PS3 is more popular here than anywhere else?"

    Again, that's treating Europe as a single market which it isn't. Added up all its separate markets combine to a very large one. But actually servicing all those separate markets is a rather costly affair. If Europe was truly so important, it would be treated that way.

  • Goodfella #16 3 years ago

    Why bother at all then?

  • Foxclose #17 3 years ago

    The US is one single nation with one language with federal laws.
    The EU is no way shape or form, as united.

    So accept it, the US is still the most important market in the world for a lot of things.
    Edited by 1 at 16/01/09 @ 12:25

  • JHuxley #18 3 years ago

    Just to clarify: Here is the official plan for EU:

    Fuck off, can't be arsed. Many thanks.

    Umm...isn't it the US getting screwed here?

  • Les #19 3 years ago

    "Why bother at all then?"

    Because there's still money to be made. Just not as much (or not as easily) as in the US and Japan.

  • the_dudefather #20 3 years ago

    no word on europe?

    'Sony has told Eurogamer that it will release a European demo of Killzone 2 through PlayStation Network, but cannot confirm exactly when, or what will be included in the demo.

    However, a source close to the publisher told us that if it clears QA in time, the demo will almost certainly be released in Europe before the game.'

  • zedzee #21 3 years ago

    So basically, Europe will not get a KZ2 demo, while the push back (yes, that's what it is, a push back) of the demo date - from 2nd to 26th Feb - is because they've found further bugs that need to be fixed and therefore, they require the extra time to fix them, before making any game code available to the public.

    Otherwise, why on earth would you want to delay the demo until the day before the release?!

    By the way, I agree with "jonsaan" and his conclusion for the European plans for the 'release' of KZ2.
    Edited by 1 at 16/01/09 @ 14:00

  • zedzee #22 3 years ago

    "The European market is fractured."

    Erm, there's a good reason for that. We are DIFFERENT countries and we DON'T want to become United States of Europe.

  • JahB #23 3 years ago

    i'm not getting all the bitching. just make a us account and download the demo ffs....

  • MaliceMajorE15 #24 3 years ago

    SCEE have already confirmed that there will be a demo before the launch in the EU regions. The reason That this is new news to eurogamer is because there wasnt going to be a demo before release in the US, due to an exclusivity agreement with gamestop, where they give out the demo to people who pre-order the game.

    I bet we have the demo about 2 weeks before launch.

  • kangarootoo #25 3 years ago

    "Offering a playable demo to motivate pre-orders speaks to our confidence in the appeal of a game such as Killzone 2. We take this approach when we are convinced that the experience will cement a consumer's interest in purchasing"

    I really have no idea what that actually means.


    "Erm, there's a good reason for that. We are DIFFERENT countries and we DON'T want to become United States of Europe. "

    Well nobody really suggested we should. But anyone complaining that Europe gets overlooked in these matters should see the contradiction if they also felt the same way as you. Cake and eat it, etc.

  • kangarootoo #26 3 years ago

    On that note, imo we should have adopted the Euro ages ago, but rational thinking on the matter is always shot in the foot by xenophobia and blind patriotism.

    To think that the future of my country is determined by people that get their nose out of joint just because they have to weigh bananas in kg instead of lbs both baffles and depresses me.

  • aphexstwin #27 3 years ago

    i'll get the us demo. i just pray that it works for us in the uk/europe. especially as the uncharted us demo didnt at first

    les; no one asked me if i wanted to be a part of a single europe, im happy being british and spending pounds. but thats a different discussion (hitlers dream coming true, albeit his was the wrong way to get it done!)

  • kangarootoo #28 3 years ago

    "(hitlers dream coming true, albeit his was the wrong way to get it done!)"

    Err, I'm not sure a unified Europe was really Hitler's dream.

  • Triggerhappytel #29 3 years ago

    I'm not fussed about us not getting a demo (already played and pre-ordered the game and will DL it from US PSN anyway), but it seems a bit silly only coming out the day before the game is released. Surely the optimum time would be a couple of weeks, to allow the word to spread, people to check for PSN updates and played-the-demo-hype to make its way around the games community?

  • bonker #30 3 years ago

    "Offering a playable demo to motivate pre-orders speaks to our confidence in the appeal of a game such as Killzone 2. "

    Not when it's done on the day before release - I sense stench ...

  • bonker #31 3 years ago

    "The US is one single nation with one language with federal laws. "

    Apart from the 25% or so of the population that speak Spanish as their first language of course :)

  • bonker #32 3 years ago

    "It's about time 'we' in Europe adopted a single language"

    That, I assume, will be French then will it?

  • 3william56 #33 3 years ago

    Oh for f**k's sake quit whinging and set up a US account. Takes less time to do that than to type some b*tch and moan about EU getting screwed. Europe has dozens of languages, dozens of approvals and censors, so there's no surprise oit takes longer to release.

    You think you have something to complain about? I'm in Australia, which has one language, one censor, one tax rate, one currency and I'm stuck with you bl**dy gimps.

    F**king gamers nowadays. Bunch of spoilt brats whining if they don't get rock star treatment. Cowboy the f**k up.

  • Hobo #34 3 years ago

    "Europe has dozens of languages, dozens of approvals and censors, so there's no surprise oit takes longer to release."

    Have they not had long enough to factor all of this into the development process then?

    Seriously, Sony are shoulder deep in shit, they have a AAA title ready and waiting...and they're going to give the demo to people who've already bought it, or to people a whole day before release? What're they fucking scared of!?

  • threepy #35 3 years ago

    Ridiculous...

    Surely the best thing to do would be to have it a few weeks before so people can pre-order...
    After all, were we not taught this game could have been released in November but they didn't want two FPS games competing at Christmas?

    Sony really could do some things better. I'd like to try before I buy, and buy on launch. That's how I see demo's anyway.

    Let's hope Europe gets it earlier...though why do I doubt that.

  • slayaz #36 3 years ago

    Will the demo the day before coincide with any review embargoes that may be in place, just in case the game ain't all that?

    Too late to cancel a pre-order if it has already been dispatched...