Apple Arcade may cost $4.99 per month to access iOS games
Apple Arcade, the iPhone maker's in-testing game subscription service, could cost consumers $4.99 per month when it launches, with the added possibility of Apple offering a free trial and enabling Family Sharing for the program.
The upcoming Apple Arcade promises to offer gamers access to a selection of iPhone and iPad titles each month, with each game offered complete with no in-app purchases nor advertising. While a subscription for the service is anticipated, as with other areas of its Services arm Apple launched earlier this year, the pricing of the offering has yet to be revealed.
So far, the only price being paid for Apple Arcade is $0.49 per month with a one-month free trial, with the service available only to Apple employees as part of a limited internal "carry test." That test will draw to a close with the launch of iOS 13.
According to analysis of the Apple Store app's API, 9to5Mac reports the price for consumers will be $4.99, complete with a customary one-month free trial. As part of the service, Family Sharing will be enabled, so up to six members of the family will be able to take advantage of the "all you can play" service.
The launch date for Apple Arcade remains unknown, but due to the test program's closure for iOS 13's launch, it is probable that it will go live at around the same time, if not long after the iOS release.
Apple has so far reportedly invested more than $500 million dollars on the project, which is set to showcase over 100 titles at launch. Early game builds on the test version of Apple Arcade include Way of the Turtle, Down in Bermuda, Hot Lava, Sneaky Sasquatch, and Frogger in Toy Town.
The upcoming Apple Arcade promises to offer gamers access to a selection of iPhone and iPad titles each month, with each game offered complete with no in-app purchases nor advertising. While a subscription for the service is anticipated, as with other areas of its Services arm Apple launched earlier this year, the pricing of the offering has yet to be revealed.
So far, the only price being paid for Apple Arcade is $0.49 per month with a one-month free trial, with the service available only to Apple employees as part of a limited internal "carry test." That test will draw to a close with the launch of iOS 13.
According to analysis of the Apple Store app's API, 9to5Mac reports the price for consumers will be $4.99, complete with a customary one-month free trial. As part of the service, Family Sharing will be enabled, so up to six members of the family will be able to take advantage of the "all you can play" service.
The launch date for Apple Arcade remains unknown, but due to the test program's closure for iOS 13's launch, it is probable that it will go live at around the same time, if not long after the iOS release.
Apple has so far reportedly invested more than $500 million dollars on the project, which is set to showcase over 100 titles at launch. Early game builds on the test version of Apple Arcade include Way of the Turtle, Down in Bermuda, Hot Lava, Sneaky Sasquatch, and Frogger in Toy Town.
Comments
Unless somebody is a complete bum, $4.95 is not a lot, and I think its cheaper than most people thought that Apple would price this at.
Ill check it out, and if I really like some of the games, then Ill subscribe, and if not, then I wont. No biggie.
Apple could also pull another surprise out of their hat soon when they announce the pricing for Apple TV +.
I dont care about poor people.
I am merely stating that 4.99 is not a lot for such a service like Apple Arcade to be priced at and that the price was less than most people thought it would be priced at imo.
Every damned media company wants to have people subscribing to their own video streaming service. Do you know how many of these there are now? There are still more coming.
Now there are subscription services for gaming and anyone who doesn’t know how messed-up the game developer industry is right now should go inform themselves. Between the gambling mechanics and the employee abuse, it’s become a total dumpster fire. I’m sure subscription models won’t help anyone because we see how the push for constant garbage materials for micro-transactions keeps the stress on developers even after the product has supposedly shipped.
Many if not most software developers are jumping on the subscription model too. It’s not just business tools (which people seem to think are justified: “if you can’t afford to subscribe, you don’t need the software”, apologists will say). It hurts hobbyists and small businesses who rely on software tools, but the corporate-boot-lickers don’t care about people and won’t tolerate criticism.
At this point, average consumers may find themselves subscribed to multiple non-utility-classed services every month (phone, cable, internet, several video streaming services, music streaming services, maybe some apps on their phones) on top of their monthly utilities bills and other expenses.
The people with content-creation hobbies will have even more (music creation tools, Adobe products, video products, 3D modeling & rendering packages, etc).
Then the people who are also gamers may have even more, now that access to gaming itself is being pushed as a “service”.
It doesn’t matter if you think 5-15 bucks is a small amount. That’s the point. They all add up, and the push to normalize this is increasing.
This market trend is not good for consumers whatsoever. It is a trend *because* of the fact that it IS abusive; just like the micro-transactions in gaming. It is end-stage capitalism’s latest effort to use psychological manipulation to squeeze more blood from the stone that is saturated markets and purchase-averse/financially-troubled consumers.
I remember spending a lot on dvd rentals and before that vhs rentals before netflix began their subscription service. Subscription cost me way less than renting discs all of the time.
And people have something called freewill. Subscription is voluntary and people do not have to be subscribed 12 months out of the year.
Yes, there are plenty of Video subscription services around now, with more coming soon, like Apple, Disney and the At & t service.
Nobody has to be subscribed to all of them. Nobody has to even subscribe to any of them.
More services means more competition and the strong will survive and the weak will die. Theyll also be competing on price, and thats good for consumers.
Plenty of people complain about the freemium game model. Well, heres Apple Arcade and theyre trying a different approach to gaming.
This has nothing to do with being poor (and I've been that poor where a spare $5 would have been a burden) ... this is about some very VERY modest choices. Not sure if you've been outdoors/in the real world lately, but $5 doesn't buy much of anything. Even someone working a minimum wage job (especially in major countries outside the US) could opt to give up two plain coffees a month to spring for this luxury ... or, if needs must, not sign up for Arcade and instead get a $1 game and enjoy the heck out of it.
Possibly you misread the price as $49.50 a month?