Commentary: Apple Arcade as a premium club for game developers?

In recent days, Apple has begun heavily promoting its gaming service Arcade as a solution that allows access to at least 100 games for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV for a single monthly fee. At first glance, it is actually an alternative to Xbox Game Pass, an extremely popular program for Xbox One and Windows 10, whose subscribers today have access to around 300 games on both platforms. And those games that support it can be enjoyed on both devices thanks to progress synchronization and cross-platform multiplayer.

After all, Arcade also supports it for some games, even at a lower price. Yes, there's also a difference in quality, as the Mac has never been a gaming platform, although this service is a sign that that could change over time. However, the iPhone is really popular among gamers, especially mobile gamers. In Asia, for example, mobile gaming is so popular that you can find ads for the latest mobile RPGs in the Shanghai subway and entire channels dedicated to mobile games on TV. It is no coincidence that Blizzard decided to bring Diablo to mobile, although this move was not popular with Western players. It would be pointless if Apple didn't know this and it's only good that they launched the game service.

But what I find strange about Apple's solution is the style in which this service works, and I'm honestly a little worried that at the end of the day it won't end up worse than Google Stadia. Many developers, including those who release games through Xbox Game Pass praise the service, and there are several indie games that have made it through the servicey several times increase your sales. Like the cycling game Descenders. Thus, players have the opportunity to support their favorite games and their developers by purchasing the games, even if one day they disappear from the XGP menu, they can still play them.

However, don't expect a choice with Arcade. Games that are available in the library are only available there and forget about the option to buy. Yes, the advantage is that Apple can get active income with this style even from games that don't offer microtransactions because they simply don't need them. But there is also the risk that the lack of choice will deter some players from even considering this service. This is also my case. I have been playing on Xbox for over 10 years and have actively subscribed to various services, such as Game Pass, which gives me access to a really large collection of games, and my own library consists of almost 400 games.

On Mac, the situation is such that you play herei really only occasionally and I don't think that if I get to a game here once every six months that I would he had subscribe to a service. I'd much rather buy a game for, say, four times the price of a monthly Arcade membership, with the knowledge that I can play it whenever I feel like it, whether it's tomorrow, a month from now, or two years from now. But this way Apple and unfortunately not even the developers will get my money in any way.

Aside from Arcade feeling like a VIP club within a VIP club to me, I find the service lacking as a modern gaming platform community. Whether it's PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo, the core of every gaming platform today is a community of fellow gamers with whom you can share your experiences. But I don't have much to share here because I simply don't know about other players, just like I don't know about other Netflix or HBO GO subscribers until I ask. Unfortunately, the absence of community is also the reason why online gaming hardly works these days, and even the biggest phenomena, such as Rocket League, are gradually disappearing. But things can be different, Apple still has the opportunity to improve.