Apple Arcade to cost $4.99 per month, according to new report
posted Friday Aug 23, 2019 by Scott Ertz
It's been a few months since Apple announced its new subscription gaming service, Apple Arcade, at WWDC 2019. The service will come with a collection of games, including all in-app purchases and no advertisements. The service will launch this Fall and has been much anticipated for its Xbox Game Pass style take on mobile gaming. However, some apprehension has remained, as Apple never announced pricing for the new service. However, according to a new report this week, the price of the service will be $4.99 per month.
The pricing is not a huge surprise following Google's testing of Google Play Pass, a similar subscription service, adding apps to the game catalog, which is currently advertised at $4.99 per month. While Google separates itself by adding non-gaming apps, Apple's service will separate itself by eventually expanding to include Apple TV and macOS devices.
This move, from both Apple and Google, is aimed at trying to solve the current mobile gaming landscape problem. Today, mobile games come in two main varieties: free and paid. The free games are the most common and, while they sound nice, are usually specifically designed to encourage microtransactions which can easily make the game cost more than a paid game. On the other hand, paid games usually come without in-app purchases and advertisements, but also require a front-heavy price.
With a service like Apple Arcade or Google Play Pass, mobile gamers can get the full game experience without being bullied into buying skins, tools, or Pokeballs. The concept has proven to be popular on Xbox One and PC with the Xbox Game Pass, which brings console games to players for a monthly subscription. The same concept on mobile could have the potential to be even more popular with players because of the scourge of in-app purchases in mobile games.
