Apple Arcade
- Apple Arcade, the upcoming video game subscription service for iOS and MacOS, will cost $5 per month, based on a report from 9to5Mac.
- Apple Arcade games will be playable on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV and will show up in a new tab in the App Store.
- Apple Arcade is expected to launch in Fall 2019, and will likely coincide with the release of iOS 13 in September.
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Apple‘s new video game subscription service, Apple Arcade, is scheduled to launch this fall, but the tech giant has been surprisingly quiet about the details after a high-profile announcement back in March.
But with Apple’s new iPhone software scheduled to debut in September, new details about Apple Arcade have started to emerge. According to a report from 9to5Mac, Apple Arcade will cost $5 per month, giving subscribers access to more than 100 ad-free games on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV devices. Subscribers would be able to share the service with Apple’s Family Sharing program, and Apple will reportedly offer a free one-month trial.
Apple Arcade will occupy a new tab in the App Store, and games are stored permanently on the device so they will be playable offline. The subscription service is expected to launch alongside iOS 13 in September, and 9to5Mac reports that some Apple employees have already been granted early access to Apple Arcade.
Read more: Apple reportedly invested $500 million or more in its upcoming Apple Arcade subscription service
The subscription 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 says it is working closely with creators and contributing to development costs to help developers make exclusive games for Apple Arcade.
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. Apple says games will also offer support for wireless controllers, including Xbox One and PlayStation 4 controllers.
All Apple Arcade games will be ad-free and will not have any in-app purchases. Apple says new games will be added to the service on a regular basis.
Apple’s decision to move toward selling subscription services like Apple Arcade represents a shift in the company’s business model. The company has typically focused on selling hardware like iPhones and MacBooks, but sales have slowed in recent years. Apple reportedly invested more than $500 million to launch Apple Arcade.
Selling subscriptions gives Apple an opportunity to leverage the large userbase currently using Apple products. Apple said in March that more than 1 billion people have downloaded games from the App Store, which currently hosts more than more than 300,000 games.
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NOW READ: Apple will reportedly invest $500 million or more in its upcoming Apple Arcade subscription service
Source: Business Insider – kwebb@businessinsider.com (Kevin Webb)