Games dominate paid downloads in Apple TV App Store's first weekend

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited November 2015
Last Friday's debut of the fourth-generation Apple TV also brought with it tvOS and a dedicated App Store, with games proving to be the most popular paid apps at launch, new data reveals.




Unlike on the iOS App Store, Apple didn't include a list of the top paid, free, and grossing apps for tvOS. But Slide to Play found that Apple has made some data available, though it was characterized as somewhat "unreliable."

Still, the data provides perhaps the best look into what's selling thus far on the Apple TV, and unsurprisingly it's motion-control-based "Beat Sports" -- which was showcased heavily at Apple's September event --?that tops the paid charts. In all, nine of the top ten paid apps are games, with only video streamer "SimpleX" cracking the top apps.

Things are slightly different in the "Free" category, where streaming apps like "HBO Now," "Nat Geo TV" and "Fox Now" are in the top five. But the top two free apps --?"Rayman Adventures" and "Crossy Road" -- are still games, and "Asphalt 8: Airborne" also cracks the top 10.

Many of the top free apps were built-in options on the previous-generation Apple TV, even though there are many new options --?1,025 as of Sunday evening. The lists were first spotted by MacRumors.

Some options on the Apple TV App Store are universal downloads, meaning users can pay once and get the same title for iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. Other developers have opted to make new TV-only versions of their existing iOS apps, allowing them to charge again for users who want the convenience of playing across devices.

Because of the closeness between iOS and tvOS, apps can offer cross-platform syncing via iCloud. This means gamers can start a title at home on their Apple TV, then continue playing where they left off on an iPhone or iPad on the go.

Beyond "Beat Sports," the other most popular paid games for Apple TV are:
  • "Galaxy on Fire --?Manticore RISING"
  • "Lumino City"
  • "Alto's Adventure"
  • "Does not Commute TV"
  • "Battle Supremacy: Evolution"
  • "Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions Evolved"
  • "Shoot the Zombirds"
  • "Oceanhorn"
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 28
    My AppleTV's are coming tomorrow...I like the prospect of playing a game on any Apple device and pick up where I left off...seems if they can get the quality of the games where they need to be this could be the "holy grail" of gaming...
  • Reply 2 of 28
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,904member
    No brainer their. Off course new Apple-TV has cemented it's position as mid-tier, casual gamers go-to console. So, Games dominate paid downloads in Apple TV App Store is just another validation. Everyone knows it.
  • Reply 3 of 28

    The graphics are amazing.

  • Reply 4 of 28
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,053member
    This's why the 64-GB version was sold out in a few hours at Apple stores. I picked up a 32GB since I couldn't wait for online order to arrive today.
  • Reply 5 of 28

    I bought mine yesterday and while very new and few games available, this Apple TV Rocks!!   It has tremendous potential.  Beach Buggy Racing is like Mario Cart and works almost the same.  Asphalt 8 is a lot of fun as well.  I have even played the iPhone/iPad game "10 pin shuffle Pro" and like it a lot.  It makes the game more communal, if that makes sense.  If you are a hard core gamer this will not fit your needs / desires (Yet) but for the casual gamer which WII built its business on, this is the gaming console for you.   Siri is also a key feature.  Ask her the temperature or who won last nights game and it pops up along the bottom while still allowing you to watch what was on.  A few complaints with Siri.  Not all games or apps are linked to her (yet) so when you ask for "Trailers" She doesn't understand.  This version of Apple TV will be a huge hit for Christmas!!  This is the TV platform that everyone has been waiting on.

  • Reply 6 of 28
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    Beats sports is such a Nintendo game knockoff.
    It's basically Rhythm Heaven Wii.

    Too bad Nintendo's head is stuck up its a**.
  • Reply 7 of 28

    Yea set mine up last night. Set up was a breeze.

    Downloaded Asphalt 8: Airborne and Hangman.

    The control for Asphalt 8  'seemed' just a little laggy to me, but I have no point of reference; I'm not a gamer.

     

    Good luck finding the games in the App store. No categories (IMO seems like a major basic omission for new product).

    Under SEARCH I did the type A, clear, B search method. Tedious but get to see every thing in the store.

    BTW- Ill buck the trend and say I like the horizontal letter lay out for Text input. Why?- with the track pad, you can just zoom across quickly once you get the hang of it. Much quicker than the box layout before .

    There are two TWIT apps. Downloaded one. Worked very well.

    Lots of free fire place apps... hey they are very nice!

     

    Note to AI staff, talk to your ad agency please -- please encourage them to stop putting up resource grabbing video ads .  Im trying to type in here and that stupid Ad bogs down the whole thing. Ad blocker here I come.

  • Reply 8 of 28

    I would like to see a WD MyCloud app on ATV.

  • Reply 9 of 28

    The only game I've tried so far is Battle Supremacy. The game is fun, but every time I play, it has constant frame rate drops. Apple seriously needs to add categories to the App Store. It's a cluttered mess right now by the lack of app categories. Its impossible to find what you are looking for. On a side note, it's disappointing to hear the Plex app has failed Apple's approval process several times now. 

  • Reply 10 of 28
    Has anyone run any benchmarks on the tv? I haven't found any thorough review yet.
  • Reply 11 of 28
    A bit off topic but I would love for Apple to start posting average hours played per user...it would be a better metric for apps...steam logs total hours and # of games in library...this helps you sift through the BS.
  • Reply 12 of 28
    boltsfan17boltsfan17 Posts: 2,294member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

    I'm loving my AppleTV as a gaming machine.  I was a hardcore gamer owning Atari2600, NES, SuperNES, Genesis, N64, PS1, Gamecube, PS2, ect.  But as the years went by I got sick of paying $50 per game.  Plus games got way too complex just to be complex.  Games got way too expensive with $50 million dollar production budgets.  What I want is just fun games that are new and fresh.  I think AppleTV will fit the bill.  I'm sure there are many gamers like me who are sick of paying $50 per game but willing to pay $2-$10 per game.

    I'm still a big time gamer, but the Apple TV doesn't have incredible games like the Witcher 3. I think that game is totally worth the cost. Great developers too. They've released a ton of free content on the consoles. Take a look at the new Uncharted game on PS4. That demands a big budget with how incredible it looks. That game will be worth the cost to me. This obviously doesn't apply to all the games, but when you spend $60 on a game like Witcher 3, it gives you hundreds of hours of entertainment. Too me, that is worth $60. 

     

    Now having said that, the Apple TV has a ton of potential for good games. The selection is somewhat limited right now, but of course that will change. But it is nice paying $2-10 for hours of entertainment. I'm really looking forward to see all the new games that eventually come out. One I'm hoping makes it to the Apple TV is Infinite Flight. I love playing that on my iPad. 

  • Reply 13 of 28
    nikon133nikon133 Posts: 2,600member
    boltsfan17 wrote: »
    I'm still a big time gamer, but the Apple TV doesn't have incredible games like the Witcher 3. I think that game is totally worth the cost. Great developers too. They've released a ton of free content on the consoles. Take a look at the new Uncharted game on PS4. That demands a big budget with how incredible it looks. That game will be worth the cost to me. This obviously doesn't apply to all the games, but when you spend $60 on a game like Witcher 3, it gives you hundreds of hours of entertainment. Too me, that is worth $60. 

    Now having said that, the Apple TV has a ton of potential for good games. The selection is somewhat limited right now, but of course that will change. But it is nice paying $2-10 for hours of entertainment. I'm really looking forward to see all the new games that eventually come out. One I'm hoping makes it to the Apple TV is Infinite Flight. I love playing that on my iPad. 

    True that.

    Nothing wrong with bit-size games on the budget, but there is no $10 substitute for Witcher 3, Arkham Knight, Metal Gear Solid 5... And Asphalt 8 is still nowhere near Forza, GT, Project Cars or DriveClub.

    We might see console-grade games on AppleTV in the future... maybe not this generation; maybe next one, or the one after. After all, hardware in AppleTV is already bettering PS3 and X360, so there's no reason why the games can't match likes of Uncharted 1 - 3, Forza 4, Halo 3/4 or GT5/6 (short of limited storage and delivery method - but that can change with simple introduction of SD or any other flash media support)... however, if such games appear, they will not cost $10 anymore. It is simple reality that developing GT costs much more than developing Asphalt 8.
  • Reply 14 of 28
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member

    9to5 Mac now reporting the Plex app has officially been released. Some have been clamoring for it.

  • Reply 15 of 28
    boltsfan17boltsfan17 Posts: 2,294member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by lkrupp View Post

     

    9to5 Mac now reporting the Plex app has officially been released. Some have been clamoring for it.


    Finally! Plex is one of the main reasons why I bought the new Apple TV. 

  • Reply 16 of 28
    ifailifail Posts: 463member
    sog35 wrote: »
    All true.  Its just I don't have hundreds of hours to play a game, I'm not 16 anymore.  I just want something I can pickup right away and play and not have to read a 200 page instruction book to figure out how to play.

    I think its sorta like the MP3 vs CD thing.  Most won't care that CD has better quality because MP3 is so convient.  I think many will be won by the low friction of AppleTV and the cost effectiveness of the games.  There will still be those who want the very best graphics possible and $50 million budgets.

    Honestly I don't think games will be the reason the Apple TV is successful, but more in line with the fact that if Apple has the power to break the cable stranglehold sales will explode.

    There simply is no game on the Apple TV that is a compelling reason to shell out 150, and there probably never will be unfortunately.

    The costs involved in making complex console worthy games will drive prices beyond what most Apple enthusiasts like yourself and normal iOS users are willing pay.

    But quite honestly, your habits sound more in line with someone who probably would never play anything sitting in the living simply because you want to be in and out, which is more of a mobile gaming lifestyle
  • Reply 17 of 28
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,053member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Boltsfan17 View Post

     

    I'm still a big time gamer, but the Apple TV doesn't have incredible games like the Witcher 3. I think that game is totally worth the cost. Great developers too. They've released a ton of free content on the consoles. Take a look at the new Uncharted game on PS4. That demands a big budget with how incredible it looks. That game will be worth the cost to me. This obviously doesn't apply to all the games, but when you spend $60 on a game like Witcher 3, it gives you hundreds of hours of entertainment. Too me, that is worth $60. 

     

    Now having said that, the Apple TV has a ton of potential for good games. The selection is somewhat limited right now, but of course that will change. But it is nice paying $2-10 for hours of entertainment. I'm really looking forward to see all the new games that eventually come out. One I'm hoping makes it to the Apple TV is Infinite Flight. I love playing that on my iPad. 


    Let's say Halo 5 to be on ATV this Christmas? Is that hardcore enough, LOL?

  • Reply 18 of 28
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,053member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

     

     

    All true.  Its just I don't have hundreds of hours to play a game, I'm not 16 anymore.  I just want something I can pickup right away and play and not have to read a 200 page instruction book to figure out how to play.

     

    I think its sorta like the MP3 vs CD thing.  Most won't care that CD has better quality because MP3 is so convient.  I think many will be won by the low friction of AppleTV and the cost effectiveness of the games.  There will still be those who want the very best graphics possible and $50 million budgets.




    Apple did a right thing with this TV. Grown up guys with a job, real one don't have hours or days to play 1 game. Mini games are great and that's what people love: fun and cheap. Besides, they can still work on the OS to fine tune it. 

  • Reply 19 of 28
    matrix07matrix07 Posts: 1,993member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by shakes169 View Post

     

    I bought mine yesterday and while very new and few games available, this Apple TV Rocks!!   It has tremendous potential.  Beach Buggy Racing is like Mario Cart and works almost the same.  Asphalt 8 is a lot of fun as well.  I have even played the iPhone/iPad game "10 pin shuffle Pro" and like it a lot.  It makes the game more communal, if that makes sense. 


     

    What are you playing them with? Siri remote or Nimbus?

     

    I know I said I'll postpone the purchase but...

     

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cali View Post



    Beats sports is such a Nintendo game knockoff.

    It's basically Rhythm Heaven Wii.



    Too bad Nintendo's head is stuck up its a**.



    This will be the one I'll buy, and it's not because it's number 1. I have it on my wish list since Keynote demo.

     

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

     



    Geometry Wars 3 is amazing on AppleTV + game controller. Best $10 game I've ever bought.


    Asphalt 8 is very fun and suprisingly great graphics


    Oceanhorn is a very good Zelda type game so far 


    Crossly road is old school fun


    Lumino City has great art direction and just good chill fun

    ?




    Wrote this down in note for future purchase. :)

     

  • Reply 20 of 28
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    fallenjt wrote: »
    boltsfan17 wrote: »
     
    I'm still a big time gamer, but the Apple TV doesn't have incredible games like the Witcher 3. I think that game is totally worth the cost. Great developers too. They've released a ton of free content on the consoles. Take a look at the new Uncharted game on PS4. That demands a big budget with how incredible it looks. That game will be worth the cost to me. This obviously doesn't apply to all the games, but when you spend $60 on a game like Witcher 3, it gives you hundreds of hours of entertainment. Too me, that is worth $60. 

    Now having said that, the Apple TV has a ton of potential for good games. The selection is somewhat limited right now, but of course that will change. But it is nice paying $2-10 for hours of entertainment. I'm really looking forward to see all the new games that eventually come out. One I'm hoping makes it to the Apple TV is Infinite Flight. I love playing that on my iPad. 
    Let's say Halo 5 to be on ATV this Christmas? Is that hardcore enough, LOL?

    That's definitely hardcore enough but can the ATV run it?
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