Cheddar: Apple Considering Subscription Service for Games

Alex Heath, writing for Cheddar:

The service would function like Netflix for games, allowing users who pay a subscription fee to access a bundled list of titles. Apple began privately discussing a subscription service with game developers in the second half of 2018, said the people, all of whom requested anonymity to discuss unannounced plans.

It’s unclear how much the subscription will cost or what kind of games Apple will offer. The service is still in the early stages of development, and Apple could ultimately decide to abandon it.

There are three main types of entertainment media: music, video, and games. Apple already has a subscription service for music, we know for a fact that they’re full-steam ahead on original content for TV shows and movies, so it makes sense that they’d be looking at games too.

On mobile, Apple is clearly the dominant player in the industry. Surely any subscription gaming service from Apple would start — and perhaps end — with the iPhone and iPad. The Mac is perhaps further behind on PC gaming than it’s ever been. I don’t think that’s going to change. But Apple TV still strikes me as a missed opportunity, simply because it doesn’t ship with a gaming controller. Maybe this company-wide emphasis on services revenue is the thing that could make Apple reconsider that.

★ Monday, 28 January 2019