Apple Arcade will arrive on 19 September for S$6.98/mth
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Apple Arcade will arrive on 19 September for S$6.98/mth
New service, new expectations
Today, Apple has revealed that its subscription gaming service, Apple Arcade, will be launching on 19 September in over 150 countries for a monthly fee of US$4.99. This includes access for up to six family members with Family Sharing. It will also come with a one-month free trial for new subscribers. You can also expect this service in Singapore, coming on the same day for a monthly subscription of S$6.98.
What's Apple Arcade about?
First announced in March, Apple only revealed then that it will have at least 100 new and exclusive games, and that it'll exist as a dedicated tab inside the App Store, instead of living in its own app. Some notable developers that have jumped onboard includes Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi and Will Wright of Sim City’s fame.
What are the perks of subscribing?
Subscribers will get unlimited access to the entire catalog, all playable across iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and Apple TV. Apple Arcade will be available on the App Store on September 19 with iOS 13 devices, on September 30 on iPadOS and tvOS 13, and in October on macOS Catalina.
The term 'exclusive' means that you will not find the game on any other mobile platform, like Google Android, or subscription services. But it could appear for PC or console gaming systems.
In terms of contractual obligations, there are none. It's a monthly billing cycle and you're free to terminate it anytime.
What are some of the highlights of Apple Arcade's exclusive content?
At the iPhone 11 event, Apple showed some Arcade exclusives from Japanese publishers Capcom and Konami, including a modern take on Frogger called Frogger in Toy Town and Shinsekai: Into the Depths respectively. A third game made by Swedish studio Simogo, called Sayonara Wild Hearts was also showed on stage, and while it will be a mobile platform exclusive (i.e., you won't see it on Google Play Store), the game is also coming to the Nintendo Switch.
There are some questions left answered, though. For instance, we don’t know if Arcade will have gamer points or trophies-like achievements that we see on Xbox or PlayStation. We also don’t know if there’s a matchmaking or a friend-list system that is separated from your contact list. Hopefully we'll have answers for these and more soon.
