The Apple Arcade service was originally touted to contain exclusive titles, but the terms of that exclusivity only refer to other mobile services, which means that Apple Arcade titles can also appear on consoles and PC. Apple Arcade is a gaming subscription service that costs $4.99 a month and will give subscribers access to over one hundred games, which can be played across a number of different iOS devices.
The gaming world is bracing itself for a rush of new streaming services that are attempting to become the Netflix equivalent for video games. Microsoft has the Xbox Game Pass service, which gives players access to a wide range of titles, including brand new games like Gears 5, while a streaming game service called xCloud is due to launch in October. Google is also entering the market with Google Stadia, which will allow modern games to be streamed on low-spec hardware. Apple Arcade is following the Xbox Game Pass model and will allow players to download games so that they be can be played when their device is offline.
Apple has mentioned that some of the titles on the Apple Arcade service will be exclusive to the system. It turns out that this exclusivity only refers to mobile gaming platforms like Android. According to 9to5Mac, the Apple Arcade exclusives will only appear on iOS devices and not on Android, which means that they are free to appear on consoles and PC. This means that titles like Exit the Gungeon will debut on Apple Arcade and can come to other systems at a later date.
The titles that appear on the Apple Arcade service will also be restricted from appearing on other subscription services and that they can’t be purchased outside of the Apple Arcade app. This means that the only way to play these games on iOS devices is to subscribe to Apple Arcade, even if the player is only interested in a single game, such as Visual Daylife, which is the latest title by the developers of Octopath Traveler and Bravely Default and is set to debut on the service.
The initial line-up of Apple Arcade titles is impressive and it’s clear that Apple wants to come out of the gate swinging, especially as the launch line-up of Google Stadia is still somewhat murky(if not downright unclear). The low cost of the subscription and the impressive line-up of titles means that Apple Arcade will be an easy sell for a lot of people, except for those who own Android phones, who will either need to convert or wait for the games to appear on other systems.
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Source: 9to5Mac
