What is Apple Arcade
Apple Arcade is a paid mobile game subscription service on the App Store that allows users (up to six family members) to sign up and enjoy 100+ premium, high-quality games straight from a separate tab in the App Store. It is Apple’s equivalent to Google’s ‘Google Play Pass’ service. Apple Arcade games are obviously visible in other places around the App Store too, for example, on the Today tab, in the search results page and on different featuring placements; placed strategically to increase exposure and drive users to the game subscription.
With the service there are no ads and no in-app purchase payments and being available both online and offline means users won’t rely on wifi for their gaming.
Why Apple Arcade is Important
It’s important because it’s a completely separate channel for growth. For app devs / marketers who are interested in the Apple Arcade route (it’s currently a case by case approval by Apple option), as an additional channel it means the potential for more reach, more discoverability and could result in an increase in installs. The arcade allows apps devs / marketers to choose a different model for their game, so instead of relying on ad revenues and in-app purchases they can partner up with Apple and make revenues that way instead. The current assumption is that Apple is adopting revenue sharing agreements with developers but there’s no information publicly available on the topic.
