Apple Arcade—Details Surrounding Apple’s New Gaming Subscription Service

The mobile gaming industry is booming as of late. With revenues that exceed the hundreds of billions of dollars worldwide, becoming a mobile game dev is more feasible than ever. And as new companies start to get on board with this trend, the hype is only expected to get larger in time. Case in point, the newest company that is undergoing a foray into the world of mobile gaming is Apple, with their gaming-as-a-service solution called Apple Arcade.

Now, playing games on your iPhone is nothing new. For the past decade, finding a title to entertain yourself with on your phone is as easy as visiting the App Store and downloading whatever you want. In a press release issued by Apple, they said the following regarding the App Store:

“With the App Store, Apple ignited a worldwide app phenomenon that has revolutionized the way people work, connect, learn and play. The App Store drives the app economy and has earned $120 billion for developers worldwide. Today, the App Store is the world’s safest and most vibrant app marketplace, with over half a billion people visiting each week. Privacy, security, quality and curation are fundamental to the App Store. Every app must meet and maintain Apple’s strict guidelines to launch and remain on the App Store. For enhanced discoverability, experts create rich editorial content and curated collections of the best apps every day. The App Store is the single best place to explore the world of apps, and is available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV and iMessage.”

With that being said, Apple aims to revolutionize the way gamers play, with its subscription service that promises an assortment of curated games, all of which feature cross-play with all your Apple devices. In other words, the games you will receive from this service can be played interchangeably on your phone, iPad, Mac computers, and even on your Apple TV.  Most importantly, however, is the quality of the games that you’ll be able to download through this service.

What is Apple Arcade?

Apple’s newest gaming subscription service presents players with a large list of curated games. These games include titles from both new-yet-promising indie devs, as well as many heavyweights in the business such as Final Fantasy’s Hironobu Sakaguchi, and Watchmen’s Dave Gibbons, among others. Furthermore, the selection is not limited to titles by famous people in the industry as there are also many companies collaborating to bring you the best games. Case in point, companies like Lego, Disney, Sega, Cartoon Network, Konami, Klei Entertainment, and Lego, among many others, are also present and providing many games to bolster the service’s lineup.

Subscribers will gain uninterrupted access to the entire Apple Arcade library by paying an as-of-yet undisclosed monthly fee. Additionally, as we mentioned above, the games are playable interchangeably on most Apple devices. In this sense, you could play a game on your iPhone during your daily commute and lunch break and then come home to keep playing on your Apple TV. Your progress in any game is saved in the cloud and synced to whatever device you decide to play on.

This service is similar to those for other consoles such as Xbox’s Game Pass or, to an extent, Sony’s PlayStation Plus. The pivotal difference, in this case, is that Apple Arcade is focused mainly on mobile games, with the aforementioned added feature of cross-play between all Apple devices.

This service is expected to launch this year in the fall, though the exact release date—as well as the subscription fee—is still unknown. Regardless, the platform comes as a very necessary service in mobile gaming due to the sheer volume of games released for these devices. With hundreds upon hundreds of new titles released every month, a curator to sift through the throngs of games and finding the best ones out there becomes a necessity. Hopefully, Apple will be here to fill this niche and elevate the mobile gaming industry to the heights where it belongs.

Here’s an excerpt from Apple’s press release on their upcoming gaming service:

“Apple is not just handpicking the games in Apple Arcade, but also contributing to the development costs and working closely with creators to bring the games to life. Made by some of the most critically acclaimed game developers in the world, Apple Arcade games will entertain customers with incredibly fun gameplay and immersive stories, while capturing imaginations with original art and music. 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 introduce an innovative way to access a collection of brand new games that will not be available on any other mobile platform or in any other subscription service. Rather than pay up front for each game, a subscription to Apple Arcade will give players the opportunity to try any game in the service without risk. Since every game includes access to the full experience, including all game features, content and future updates, no additional purchases will be required. Every game will be playable offline, and many games will offer support for game controllers. Because subscribers can play Apple Arcade games across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV, they can pick up where they left off in a game, even if they switch devices. New games will be added to the service on a regular basis.

“Apple Arcade will launch in autumn 2019 in more than 150 countries from a new tab on the App Store across iOS, macOS and tvOS.”

Here at PrimeTime Amusements, we like to keep ahead of the curve in arcade game rental and sales and pride ourselves in providing the best service in the country. If you’re looking for a game in particular, or have a few questions about the industry, feel free to give us a call at 1.800.550.0090 or to swing by at 5300 Powerline Rd. Suite 210, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, 33309.