The Pathless, one of the games that will release on Apple Arcade later this year for macOS, iOS, and tvOS
Apple revealed their upcoming gaming subscription service this week, Apple Arcade. The service will launch this fall with over 100 exclusive games and the games will be available in full in the App Store with no in-app purchases. These will be high quality games from both indie developers and large studios. Lego, Sega, ustwo, Snowman, and more will all be there. These developers will bring games like Sonic Racing, Lego Brawls, and an Oceanhorn sequel, as well games from indie developers like The Pathless, Where Cards Fall, Hot Lava, Projection: First Light, and Enter the Construct.
Like Apple’s focus on creators for their new Apple TV+ video service, Apple’s focusing on liberating game developers. They’ve partnered with indie studios as well as larger ones to ensure that they pursue a creative vision without needing to worry about making a profit. That means game developers can focus on creating something amazing, rather than cheapening their vision for quick profits.
This could bring a new era to gaming. It’s a subscription service that makes all of your devices a console, and gives developers a reason to make incredible games.
In This Article:
Giving Developers a Chance
Oceanhorn 2, now with incredible graphics and action
Apple will launch Apple Arcade with over 100 games on a new tab in the App Store. They’re working to bring the service to users seamlessly, so they can start finding new favorite games quickly. Apple considers the work they’ve done thus far to be an investment, and they invested that money in great indie creators who wouldn’t have had a chance without Apple.
I made my first game in high school. A game I played had a scripting language, a level editor, and I could bring in my own pixel graphics. Using their tools, I made a pretty well fleshed out game that I shared with a community online. That was an intro to programming and game development I wouldn’t have gotten until college otherwise, and, had it not been for that experience, I might not have even taken computer science in college.
Enter the Construct, another game coming to the Apple Arcade
Just as I got an opportunity I wouldn’t have otherwise gotten, Apple’s assisting developers. With funding and guidance, indie developers who couldn’t have imagined completing their entire vision will have an opportunity to make exactly what they want. With funding from Apple’s subscriptions going to them before they even complete the game, Apple’s easy to use development tools, and Apple’s guidance, indie developers can make the game of their dreams, despite lack of funding and experience.
Apple’s giving indie developers a chance to make unique games, things we have never seen before. Originality will be more important than profits, and it’s going to be easy t o see. Games in the Apple Arcade will be unique, challenging, beautiful, and a whole lot of fun.
Death to Freemium
“Paid games are often critically acclaimed and beloved by the people who play them, but competing with free is hard, so even the best of these games have only reached a smaller audience.”
Freemium is the bane of good games. The way you make a good game is pretty standard. Combine creativity, great game mechanics, fantastic visual art and sound, efficient and reliable coding, and presto! You’ve got a good game. It’s a lot of hard work and effort, but you have a vision for something fun and exciting, and bring it to reality. Completing that creative process is truly one of the most rewarding feelings.
Making a freemium game is a bit different. First you decide what will be the in game currency that requires real world currency. Then you develop a game following the same script as any other freemium game. Often you’ll just put news graphics and new text onto an existing game to release a clone. Get some investors to make a vibrant TV commercial, and release it.
Freemium games take advantage of addiction problems, and are little more than slot machines. The same people who will sit in front of a slot machine, tugging the lever for hours are the same people dumping thousands into freemium games.
The Same Game, Over and Over and Over and Over and Over…
Build a city games are common clones, because the mechanic asks players to keep paying real money to improve or repair their beloved cities.
Making games like this is soul crushing. However, it’s profitable, so it’s often the only way game developers can make steady income, as users are reluctant to pay for $5+ apps.
However, with Apple’s help and a subscription model that guarantees revenue, game developers can go off script, unleashing their creativity. They can also update their games regularly, and support them for years. They’ll make more than they would have if they charged $10 for the game, and be able to keep it updated, release sequels, and keep players happy.
Apple may have given us freemium games when they introduced in-app purchases for digital goods. But they’re going to free us from these awful games as well.
All You Can Game, Wherever You Can Game
Lego Brawls, a multiplayer game coming to Apple Arcade
I’ve got myself a nice Steelseries Rival 500 gaming mouse that I mostly use for navigation. However, I’ve found remapping all of those buttons for games makes computer gaming far more fun. Add that to my love for my mechanical keyboard, the surprising capabilities of the 2019 i9 MacBook Pro, and my ultrawide monitor, and accidentally stumbled into loving gaming on my Mac. But I don’t bring my Mac on the train. I don’t have it while I’m waiting for my date to show up. I don’t have that setup when I feel like relaxing on my couch. Instead, I have my iPhone.
But with Apple Arcade, I could play a game on my Mac, decide to move to my couch so I could watch some TV while I play on my iPhone, or prop my iPad up on my couch, grab a controller, and play that way. I could even play on my Apple TV. Apple has optimized their mobile games to the point that they look incredible and can still look good next to console or PC games. As a result, you can easily jump between platforms.
With Apple Arcade, you’ll have access to hundreds of games wherever you are.
Game Changer
Beyond a Steel Sky, a game coming to Apple Arcade
Apple Arcade could be a serious game changer. It could help indie developers get their games out the door, completing their vision in ways they didn’t think possible. It can introduce gamers to high quality games, without asking them to put down $15 up front and gamble on whether or not the game will be worth the price for them. For everyone involved, it’s a low risk, high fun experience.
This could be exactly what needs to be done to revive mobile gaming and gaming on the Mac or Apple TV. With Apple’s cross platform controller support, you can even use the same controller on every platform. Just grab one controller like the Steelseries Nimbus, perhaps a clip to attach your iPhone to it, and start playing anywhere.
Apple Arcade will help developers rethink how they make games and help gamers play more great games than ever before. Let’s hope it lives up to its promise when it’s released this fall for an as of yet unknown price.