Apple Announces Apple Arcade, Its New Gaming Subscription Service

Apple just introduced Apple Arcade, its new premium game subscription service across its hardware devices and also one of the new content services that Apple has introduced at the Show Time event. “We want to make gaming even better,” said Tim Cook on stage.

Unlike other cloud-based gaming services from Microsoft, Sony, Nvidia or the most recently Google, Apple Arcade was not created to help stream blockbuster game titles to iOS. Instead, this service allows you to subscribe to play many games that can be downloaded from the App Store.

Over 1 billion people have downloaded mobile games from Apple’s App Store and it now has over 300,000 game titles. Besides, Apple promises to deliver 100 new as well as exclusive game titles available on the new service, which will be up for iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and iPhone.

These 100 exclusive games will only be available on Apple Arcade only. Subscribers can download and play these games from App Store and they can play anytime they want. It is also worth noting that all of the games on Apple Arcade will still be playable even without an Internet connection. This is in a quite different direction with Google’s newly-introduced gaming-streaming platform Stadia.

Apple showcased a wide range of game titles at the event, but for now, Apple hasn’t revealed the full list yet. Will Wright, the creator of SimCity, is also said to be developing a new game for the Apple new service. The company is promising game titles from Cartoon Network, Bossa Studios, Annapurna Interactive, Giant Squid, Finji, Konami, Klei Entertainment, Mistwalker Corporation, Lego, ustwo games, Snowman, SEGA, and more.

Apple will not just curate the game titles for its service, but it will contribute to the costs of making them as well. In this event, Apple might not have introduced its game studio, but this is surely a significant step toward that. To recall, its rival Google just announced its game studio alongside its gaming streaming service Stadia.

Apple Arcade will be available in over 150 countries in this fall, but the subscription fee for this service has yet been revealed. Game developers can now sign up for extra details about the new Apple service here, ahead of its release.