Apple has canceled contracts with independent game developers on its Apple Arcade service. In addition, the manufacturer is concerned about low adoption of the service and is looking for “more interesting” game projects.
Apple Arcade is cheap, but it doesn't seem to be keeping the public interested in it. According to a Bloomberg report, Apple is concerned about low engagement on the service. Apparently, a lot of people hire, but few play Apple Arcade games.
– Apple instafifeita
According to the site, Apple reached out via a statement to developers in mid-April to say that its games did not offer the level of "involvement" that is being sought, and that it would be canceling some projects. Some developers whose contracts were canceled faced financial problems due to the sum of problems with an aggravating factor: the pandemic.
The Apple Arcade service was launched in September last year at a price of US$ 4,99 (R$ 10 here in Spain). With more than 120 games, it seems that none have become the “hit” that Apple had hoped for, not even titles like Oceanhorn 2, Beyond a Steel Sky or Sayonara Wild Hearts.
"Apple Arcade has redefined what a gaming service can be, putting unlimited gameplay at the fingertips of subscribers and their families across all their Apple devices," Apple said in a statement. “We are proud to have launched the first mobile game subscription service that now features over 120 games, many of which are award-winning and widely celebrated for their art and gameplay. The vision has always been to grow and evolve the Apple Arcade catalogue, and we can't wait for our users to experience the games the developers are working on right now. "
Apple added that it always planned to make changes to the service based on subscriber feedback. The Cupertino giant has committed tens of millions of dollars to support creating games for the Arcade service and has spent between $1 million and $5 million (per game) on various titles so far, according to people familiar with Apple's efforts.
– Didn't Apple expect too much from the service?
Well, now comes my humble personal opinion. If Apple expects an engagement like in ultra-addictive online games like PUBG Mobile, Brawl Stars, Free Fire and etc, it can take the horse out of the rain.
Premium mobile games are a very, very small niche… yet profitable!
Perhaps Apple has stumbled upon something very peculiar to the owners of iPhones and iPads: Having money! A person may very well buy another platform intended only for games and enjoy much more immersive and impactful games.
Remember: video games are only expensive in third world countries.
In the US, with a minimum wage, you can easily buy a PS4 and almost 20 games, all in a single month! In Spain, you need 2,5 months to buy a PS4. And I'm not going to get into the issues of the price of games here. See for yourself.
Where do I want to go by commenting this? I want to get to the point that the service is not that interesting for countries where it is very easy and cheap to buy video game consoles.
But there's another point.
Playing sessions that are too long for a mobile game can also have a negative impact. As cool as it is for us, mobile game lovers, the general public will not spend 40 minutes to 1 hour, in just one or two phases of a mobile game. A WhatsApp or Facebook notification simply appears, and the person “quits” from the game.
Anyway, I hope that the Apple Arcade service doesn't “die”, and that Apple lowers its expectations regarding this service.
With information from Bloomberg.
