Apple Arcade finally got the boost it needed

Last week, Apple Arcade received its biggest update since its launch in 2019. More than 30 titles have been added to the subscription service, including long-awaited games like Hironobu Sakaguchi’s role-playing email Fantastic. But while the quantity and quality of the titles added was impressive, the most important part of the announcement was a change of direction. Among the exceptional exceptions were a number of classics, ranging from Monument Valley to play chess Tries, which helps to round off the service. Apple Arcade has finally fallen into something close to a Netflix for mobile games.

Since its inception, the pitch for Apple Arcade has been entirely focused on quality. While the App Store continues in a space dominated by games that can be played for free, Arcade offers an alternative where some of the most talented developers in the world can create amazing mobile games without worrying about making money. It was launched along with new games from people like Zach Gage and Ustwo, and it continued to add titles almost weekly. Subscribers get all these games for a fixed monthly fee. It was a great service – but it always feels like something is missing.

When you sign up for something like Netflix, it could be because of one of the great exclusive titles of the service like The Witcher or Bridgerton. But it will not necessarily keep you addicted. Part of what makes Netflix so compelling is everything else, from reality shows to classic sitcoms, which give you something to look forward to when you’re done with the big tent poles. It is often not traditional exclusive: think about how important it is Friends and The office became in the era of TV streaming.

This kind of experience is something that Apple Arcade did not really have before this shift. But now, when you’re done playing a short narrative game like, say: Creaks or Assemble carefully, there is much more to get you invested with recent additions such as Good Sudoku or Tries.

Even better, although many of these games are available on other platforms or via the App Store, the Arcade versions are generally improved because they do not earn any in-app purchases or money. You will not find puzzles or card games that are saddled with advertisements, or that you have to open outside cupboards NBA 2K21. There are even Star Trek: Legends – essentially a character-collecting gachas game – which feels almost strange to play without being encouraged to spend money. (This lack of microtransactions makes Arcade a very family-friendly service.)

It is also important to note that this change in strategy is additive. Apple has introduced two new categories to Arcade – one for older App Store hits, another for classic games like chess or solitaire – but it still releases the big exclusive titles. In addition to Fantastic, last week’s update included Wonderbox (think Minecraft meet Zelda for younger players), World of Demons (the latest action game from PlatinumGames, the team behind Kidney: Automata and Bayonetta), and Taiko no Tatsujin: Pop Tap Beat (a new entry in an excellent series of long-running games that continues to work). It’s a wonderful variety of experiences; sometimes you can browse through games on Arcade to go to an alternate reality version of what mobile games could have been if the race to play for free never happened.

Clearly, none of this is a guarantee of success. And if one believes in previous reports, it seems that the move is due to Arcade’s inability to hold subscribers. Although the subscriber model is now predominant for the music, film and television industry, it is still relatively emerging for games. Apart from Xbox Game Pass, there has not been a huge success so far. Apple Arcade undoubtedly faces a greater challenge in being on mobile devices, where users have long been conditioned to expect games for free. The Netflix of games still feels inevitable, even though we’re not there yet – but Arcade feels closer than ever before.