Today Apple announced its game subscription service for mobile devices, desktops, and the living room called Apple Arcade. Apple Arcade will feature original games from indie developers, major studios, and renowned creators like Hironobu Sakaguchi, Ken Wong, and Will Wright.
Apple Arcade features over 100 new and exclusive games including the original releases. And the Apple Arcade games will be curated based on originality, quality, creativity, and appeal to players of all ages. Apple Arcade will give customers the freedom to try any game from its collection of titles that are all-you-can-play and do not have ads. Plus Apple Arcade games do not have ad tracking or additional purchases.
Apple’s App Store is considered one of the most vibrant gaming platforms as it has nearly 300,000 free and paid games. The free games are supported by ads and in-app purchases and they are enjoyed by hundreds of millions of players around the world. Paid games are having a harder time competing with the free games so even the best-paid games reach a smaller audience. By offering a single subscription, Apple Arcade brings paid games to the App Store’s more than 1 billion gaming customers.
Some of the games that will be coming to Apple Arcade include Hot Lava by Klei Entertainment, Enter The Construct by Directive Games Limited, Where Cards Fall from Snowman, and The Pathless from Annapurna Interactive, Sonic Racing from SEGA, Beyond a Steel Sky by Revolution Software, Projection: First Light from Blowfish Studios, LEGO Brawls from LEGO, and Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm by Cornfox & Bros. Apple is also contributing to the development costs and working closely with creators to build the games.
“The App Store is the world’s biggest and most successful game platform. Now we are going to take games even further with Apple Arcade, the first game subscription service for mobile, desktop and the living room,” said Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller. “We are working with some of the most innovative game developers in the world to create over 100 new and exclusive games to play across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV. Apple Arcade games will be great for families, respect user privacy and will not have ads or require any additional purchases. We think players of all ages are going to love Apple Arcade.”
Instead of having to pay up front for each game, a subscription to Apple Arcade gives players the opportunity to try any game in the service without risk. And since every game includes access to the full experience including all games features, content, and future updates, no additional purchases will be required. Plus every game will be playable offline and a number of games will have support for game controllers.
Apple Arcade subscribers will be able to play games across iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple TVs. And they can pick up where they left off in the game even after switching between devices.
And Apple Arcade will be launching in more than 150 countries via a new tab on the App Store across iOS, macOS, and tvOS starting this fall.
