Earlier in March, Apple introduced several new services including Apple TV+, Apple News+, Apple Card, and Apple Arcade. On Tuesday during the iPhone 11 series launch, Apple announced that its Apple Arcade service will be available on the App Store starting 19 September, which coincides with the general availability of iOS 13.
Apple Arcade will be accessible via a new tab on the App Store, and the service will cost customers just USD4.99 (MYR19.90) per month. A single subscription includes access for up to six family members with Family Sharing. The great news is that Apple Arcade will be launching with a one-month free trial.
A subscription will give you unlimited access to the entire catalogue of over 100 new and exclusive games. What’s awesome is that these games are playable across iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, and Apple TV platforms. These games are exclusive and will not be found on any other platform or subscription service.
Subscribers will get the full version of every game, including all updartes and expansions. There will be absolutely no ads or additional in-game purchases.
All games can also be played offline.
Some of the games debuting in Apple Arcade include: “Ballistic Baseball” from Gameloft, “Chu Chu Rocket! Universe” from Sega, “Lego Brawls” from LEGO, “PAC-MAN PARTY ROYALE” from Bandai Namco, “Rayman Mini” from Ubisoft, “Steven Universe: Unleash the Light” from Cartoon Network and “Where Cards Fall” from Snowman. Over 100 games will be available at launch and Apple says more games are on the way.
During the Apple Event keynote, three renowned publishers live demonstrated their new, exclusive games namely Konami’s “Frogger”, Capcom’s “Shinsekai Into the Depths,” and Annapurna Interactive’s “Sayonara Wild Hearts.”
Apple’s big push into services comes as no surprise as it reduces focus an dependency on the iPhone and Mac hardware. Apple’s Services category is a key contributor to the company’s bottom line. In 2018, services generated over USD10 billion in revenue, representing 14 percent of Apple’s overall revenue. iPhone sales, however, still contributes 63 percent.
