Apple has unveiled Apple Arcade, a new subscription game which will allow iOS and Mac gamers to access a plethora of games in an “all-you-can-eat” subscription service.
“We want to make gaming even better,” said Tim Cook. Based on what Apple showed today, they may well have succeeded.
The subscription will offer 100-plus new and exclusive games that will “raise the bar” on the gaming experience. These games will include titles created by renowned creators such as Hironobu Sakaguchi, Ken Wong, and Will Wright. Companies on board include Lego, Sega, ustwo games, Snowman, and many more. From the sound of things, the new games will focus on more unusual titles — with no in-app purchases or additional fees required. There will be some big names mixed in as well, though, such as Sonic Racing from Sega and Lego Brawls.
Available as a tab in the App Store, the service (no pricing available yet) will let you download any game you want. Each title is available on iOS, Mac and Apple TV — with your game state jumping from device to device as you switch format. You can also play offline.
Photo: Apple
“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 Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “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.”
Apple Arcade will debut this fall in more than 150 countries from a new tab on the App Store.
Games go streaming
This isn’t the only subscription gaming service on the market. For example, Sony operates its PlayStation Now cloud gaming subscription service. This allows gamers to access a selection of PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 games, which can then be streamed on demand.
Apple’s games subscription service is also comparable to recently announced Google Stadia. This allows Mac and iOS gamers to play streaming games run on Google servers in the company’s data centers.
No doubt we’ll hear a lot more about Apple Arcade in the months to come — either at WWDC or September’s iPhone event (or both.) From what we’ve seen, however, it certainly looks intriguing. Provided that the price point is affordable, and the games are as good as they look, this could be a winner.
