Everything you need to know about Apple Arcade
This arcade is open
"Apple Arcade will Feature Brand New, Original Games from Acclaimed Indie Developers, Major Studios and Legendary Creators Hironobu Sakaguchi, Ken Wong and Will Wright "The service will feature games from Annapurna Interactive, Bossa Studios, Cartoon Network, Finji, Giant Squid, Klei Entertainment, Konami, LEGO, Mistwalker Corporation, SEGA, Snowman, ustwo games and dozens more." "Apple Arcade will give customers the freedom to try any game from its handpicked collection of titles that are all-you-can-play, have no ads, ad tracking or additional purchases, and respect user privacy."
Apple's game subscription now has a name - it's called Apple Arcade, and it's going to feature more than a hundred titles, and apparently all of them are going to be exclusive to the service. It's going to roll out in 150+ countries, and it's going to be available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.
Much like we suggested in our piece earlier today, Apple Arcade isn't going to be a cloud based service. Instead you pay a monthly sub to get access to the entire catalogue of games included in the so-called arcade. It's sort of like an ever-lasting Humble Bundle, or a more packed PS Plus, albeit without the extra service that PlayStation's subscription model offers.
The games won't be available anywhere else - they're exclusive to Apple Arcade - although whether that means you'll still be able to buy them normally from the App Store isn't super clear right now. You won't get them on any other subscription service or mobile platform, that much has been stated.
Pay to play
One thing we're particularly interested in hearing about is how much it's going to cost - that's something that Apple hasn't revealed yet, but it could well make or break the service as a viable option for players. Too expensive and you're unlikely to snare people, too cheap and developers won't want to put their game on there for fear of losing potential revenue.We're definitely excited about Apple Arcade's potential - you could look at it as a new lease of life for premium games on mobile. The games available won't be free to play, so Apple Arcade could well be a new way for developers to create the experiences they want while still being sure they're going to be able to make money. Once again, how much money those developers are going to be making hasn't been revealed yet.
Apple Arcade is set to launch in the fall, so you can expect much more information on it as we move forward. Is there anything in particular you'd like to know about the new service? Or any games you'd love to see on it? Let us know in the comments below.
