Apple Cancels Some Arcade Games in Strategy Shift To Keep Subscribers

According to Bloomberg’s colleagues, Apple has canceled some games planned for Apple Arcade. The games still in development will no longer join Apple Arcade. The reason is said to be that Apple now believes other games are more attractive based on previous experience with the game flat rate.

For the respective developers, this should be strong tobacco, they will then have to do without Apple’s financial support. Which developers and games are affected is currently not disclosed. Apple is specifically looking for games with longevity and replayability that should bind subscribers.

Apple Arcade costs $4.99 a month and is a game flat rate, similar to the Xbox Game Pass. Apple deliberately refrains from advertising games and excessive in-game monetization, which can only be praised. However, none of the games included has yet emerged as a kind of system seller. It is assumed that many users are currently just trying out the free trial and then saying goodbye again.

Apple does not respond to these rumors and only explains that it has always been the plan to adjust the range of games according to the feedback from subscribers. It is said that the Cupertino-based company invests approximately $1 to $5 million per game – costs that have to be recouped, even if they are negligible when compared to triple-A console games that can cost three-digit millions.

Now Apple wants more games like “Grindstone” a mixture of puzzle and action game that binds the players with many levels. For developers whose contracts have been canceled, Apple continues to offer collaboration for new games that are more what Apple Arcade is looking for. Unfortunately, however, it is going in the same direction as it is currently in the console market: it does not seem that quality counts, but rather the longest possible player loyalty – I personally find it a shame.

News Source: Bloomberg