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[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Multiple mobilegamer.biz sources have voiced their concern for Apple Arcade's future, citing a glut of cancelled projects and ever-declining developer payouts.

One developer said there was the "the smell of death" around the service – though others suggested there are now whispers of (another) reboot for the service.

Payouts for titles on Apple Arcade have been falling for years, our sources said, and following a shift in strategy very few original games are being greenlit unless they are attached to a big family-friendly IP.

Apple is often aloof or difficult to work with too – though as one developer noted, "that's nothing new". While some described their relationship with Apple as very positive (and lucrative), others said that Apple is "famously vindictive" and "spiteful" in its dealings with developers – especially once the tech giant discovers that you have signed a deal with Netflix's rival service.

Not all of our sources were critical of the service. "Despite its imperfections, we're very very happy Arcade exists. It has made premium games viable on mobile," said one contact. Another studio boss told us that their company would not exist without Apple's support, though the company is often unpredictable and demanding to work with.

Several developers we spoke to noted that payments from Apple Arcade's per-play 'bonus pool' started to decline around October 2020, and have continued to do so since. Then, as part of a reboot in spring 2021, Apple "cancelled a shitload of projects and pissed off a lot of people," according to one source.

The service is now laser-focused on family-friendly games with big IP attached, supplemented by one or two new 'App Store Greats' per month, which are repurposed free to play games with ads and IAPs removed.

Apple has not made that strategy shift very clear to its partners, however. One studio boss told us that after months of glowing feedback on one particular game, the Arcade team suddenly withdrew its interest in the title, citing a change in strategy. When the developer asked for feedback and offered to reduce the budget and re-tool the game to better fit Apple's needs, the Arcade team simply stopped responding to their emails.

Other developers who have met Apple to discuss putting their games on Arcade came away confused as to the overall direction of the service. One said it had the “smell of death” around it. “I got the sense they didn’t really know where they were going with it all – almost like they weren’t sure if they’d have jobs at the end of it,” said one studio boss.

The upfront fees Apple was paying for new Arcade titles have also been cut, we're told, and on top of the decline in per-play 'bonus pool' payments, some developers are concerned for the future of the service.

"We're going to see that amount and decrease and decrease and decrease until it's pennies," said one developer. "At that point putting a game on Arcade starts to become much less viable."

Developers are also unable to really question Apple on why payments are declining, because the company has been evasive around how its bonus pool payments are calculated.

“They have this opaque metric that they call a qualifying session, and bonus pool payments are made based on that,” said one source. “But no-one knows what a qualifying session actually is – it has something to do with if the game was launched, how long the player played for and how often they return. But it’s a black box, really.”

Developers struggling to get traction on the service also have to pitch Apple just to be featured on the Arcade tab, we're told. "We have to basically beg for featuring from Apple," said one developer. "Getting that banner featuring at the top is like squeezing blood from a stone."

Getting marketing support from Apple is tough too. "As with all things Apple, it's a six week lead time to get, you know, a single tweet or whatever," our source added.

More at: https://mobilegamer.biz/inside-appl...isillusioned-studios-and-an-uncertain-future/

 

[Astray]

This would have been the future for console gaming studios as well had Gamepass/PS Premium taken off.

Bullet dodged for now.

 

[Guilty_AI]

let it die

 

[kurisu_1974]

Just pack it up and release Fantasian on Switch or something.

 

[Holammer]

Hey Siri... Play Die MF die by Dope.

*interpretive dance headbanging*

 

[tusharngf]

apple needs to change their policy

 

[Clear]

This would have been the future for console gaming studios as well had Gamepass/PS Premium taken off.

Bullet dodged for now.

It was never going to work. Honestly, the collective stupidity/greed within the industry in overlooking how games and gaming are fundamentally different from other sorts of media is something to behold.

The outcome should've been obvious when success/failure is so dependent on curation, and curation only works when demand/public interest can be accurately calculated in advance... And of course since fucking day#1 of the industry nobody has been good at that!

The history of gaming is littered with good products/good ideas that failed to gain traction because the market simply wasn't ready or receptive to them at launch.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

F2P + MTX is the only viable and successful monetization method for mobile

Apple Arcade is doomed as long as it's like Gamepass except for shit-tier mobile games that would fail up front if they were F2P + MTX

 

[Cyberpunkd]

This would have been the future for console gaming studios as well had Gamepass/PS Premium taken off.

Bullet dodged for now.

No. Apple Arcade games have no ads and no mtx attached, the opposite of industry drive to GAAS and monetising the living shit out of each game. If Sony’s GAAS drive is successful expect way less high budget SP games next gen.

 

[Badlucktroll]

I feel that Apple could buy their way into the console market and then rip everyone a new asshole

 

[Astray]

No. Apple Arcade games have no ads and no mtx attached, the opposite of industry drive to GAAS and monetising the living shit out of each game. If Sony’s GAAS drive is successful expect way less high budget SP games next gen.

I'm talking about Subscription models.

Also literally all of the big hits on the Apple app store are gaas.

 

[ReBurn]

I'm talking about Subscription models.

Also literally all of the big hits on the Apple app store are gaas.

The Apple Arcade subscription model wasn't the cause of the GaaS issue with mobile games. By the time Apple Arcade came along mobile gaming had been a sucky "free" with in-game purchases model for years.

 

[Astray]

I feel that Apple could buy their way into the console market and then rip everyone a new asshole

An attempt will %100 happen imo. And they will likely be far more creatively successful than Xbox and even Sony.

 

[poppabk]

No. Apple Arcade games have no ads and no mtx attached, the opposite of industry drive to GAAS and monetising the living shit out of each game. If Sony’s GAAS drive is successful expect way less high budget SP games next gen.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

companies like Apple, Google, Amazon, MS, Tencent just want to make money at the expense of the medium and devs and for that, they are destined to be trash.

 

[Quasicat]

Just pack it up and release Fantasian on Switch or something.

Fantasian did pop up on the Steam backend about a year ago, but nothing else has been said since then. I played it on my Apple TV a couple of years ago and would love to revisit it on the Steam Deck or Switch.

 

[Interfectum]

let it die

Why? Apple Arcade is the best thing to happen to mobile gaming in years... it just sucks that Apple doesn't know what to do with it and more people aren't supporting it.

 

[Magic Carpet]

I might still have Apple Arcade if they kept it under 5 bucks(4.99) but they went up to 7.99 and that’s a psychological barrier for me.
The games were good but I wish they had more vertical games. Instead when I launched a game it would immediately give a sideways logo meaning I had to use two hands to hold the phone, those games rarely if ever got played.
make games where you hold the phone in one hand vertically and play The game using one finger on your other hand. Those are the most popular and most played games.
Apple never understood this and only picked big games that required a controller Or on screen controls.

Netflix games does the exact same thing. I’ve downloaded dozens of Netflix games but again horizontal two hand with a controller needed.
so those don’t get played much either.

 

[WhiteWaterM00se]

It needs to be retooled and include some Mac games. Especially once, every product starts using the ”M“ series chips. Apple would be wise to actually acquire some studios, so they have first party titles. It doesn’t have to be anything major. Rovio for example when Sega purchased would have been a great low cost addition for Angry Birds.

If the rumors of EA selling some studios are true and they are interested in selling PopCap and PvZ, that is also a natural fit for Apple, imo.

Apple should also be looking at some small studios, Retro Bowl is a great example. Very popular with kids of sports.

 

[Guilty_AI]

Why? Apple Arcade is the best thing to happen to mobile gaming in years... it just sucks that Apple doesn't know what to do with it and more people aren't supporting it.

You answered your own question.

 

[UltimaKilo]

I feel that Apple could buy their way into the console market and then rip everyone a new asshole

They already have products that are capable of playing video games. The future won’t have many (if any) dedicated video game machines. It will just be unnecessary in 10 years when your toaster is capable.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

I feel that Apple could buy their way into the console market and then rip everyone a new asshole

yeah, just like Microsoft and Google...


No, money doesn't buy everything. Companies with no gaming tradition are bound to fail, no matter how much money they burn.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

This would have been the future for console gaming studios as well had Gamepass/PS Premium taken off.

Bullet dodged for now.

Not sure what PS+ Premium has to do with GamePass... very different models.

But I agree this was the GamePass future in a nutshell.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

Or here is a wild thought: Price games to their value.

GTA6 shouldn't have the same price as Rise of the Ronin.

Standardization of pricing is what is wrong with gaming. That doesn't mean we need to over monetize games by breaking them.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

Why? Apple Arcade is the best thing to happen to mobile gaming in years... it just sucks that Apple doesn't know what to do with it and more people aren't supporting it.

I like the idea of it. I’ll take subscription over F2P + microtransactions any day.

I subscribed for a while but I barely used it. I came to realize I just don’t enjoy these kinds of games, regardless whether they’re F2P. If I’m on the go, I’d rather just play on Steam Deck or Switch.

When/if my kids get into mobile gaming I’d consider it for them (assuming it still exists). But right now they have no interest in anything except Minecraft and Roblox.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

Standardization of pricing is what is wrong with gaming. .

But there is not.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

But there is not.

The vast majority of new AAA games come out for 70 dollars now and if not 70 then 60.

That's pretty standardized.

We should be seeing games come out for a really wide range of prices. GTA6 as I mentioned should probably be 100 dollars if not more.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

I feel that Apple could buy their way into the console market and then rip everyone a new asshole

They could but why would they voluntarily go from the 40% margins on iPhones to the tiny or nonexistent margins on console hardware?

Apple likes money and that's enough reason to avoid the console market like the Black Plague

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

The vast majority of new AAA games come out for 70 dollars now and if not 70 then 60.

That's pretty standardized.

Standardization of pricing is what is wrong with gaming

gaming goes beyond AAA.

today more than ever there is a wide range of prices and business models

We should be seeing games come out for a really wide range of prices.

we do

GTA6 as I mentioned should probably be 100 dollars if not more.

maybe, if the do special editions, pay to play early for example.

 

[AJUMP23]

I only play one dot connecting game on my phone that is it. I don't want to play anything on it.

 

[ReBurn]

Or here is a wild thought: Price games to their value.

GTA6 shouldn't have the same price as Rise of the Ronin.

Standardization of pricing is what is wrong with gaming. That doesn't mean we need to over monetize games by breaking them.

Why should GTA 6 and Rise of the Ronin be priced differently?

 

[SmokedMeat]

And some people really thought Apple would enter the console market, or somehow make Mac a challenger to PC gaming.

 

[phant0m]

No. Apple Arcade games have no ads and no mtx attached, the opposite of industry drive to GAAS and monetising the living shit out of each game. If Sony’s GAAS drive is successful expect way less high budget SP games next gen.

This. I feel like everyone slinging hate at Apple Arcade never actually played anything on it. It does everything right by traditional gamers -- complete experience, no ads, no mtx, no online requirement (everything must be playable offline).

Yet here you all are begging for your Diablo Immortal.

TBH I think the bigger takeaway is there's not a huge market for "traditional" games on mobile. Most people just want bite-sized stuff that they can play continuously as "their game". I'd be willing to bet that stats show most users only play 1 or 2 games for a long time. They don't build a "library" and hype new releases like console/PC gamers do.

 

[poppabk]

This. I feel like everyone slinging hate at Apple Arcade never actually played anything on it. It does everything right by traditional gamers -- complete experience, no ads, no mtx, no online requirement (everything must be playable offline).

Yet here you all are begging for your Diablo Immortal.

I very much doubt it is going away anyway. This is all about Apple flexing it's muscle and gouging developers - it probably generates more profit than the entire Playstation division - but as usual Apple holds the keys to the kingdom and they are gonna extract every cent they can.

 

[phant0m]

And some people really thought Apple would enter the console market, or somehow make Mac a challenger to PC gaming.

tbh if they just release an AppleTV with M-series chip with universal compatibility for iPad games it would be a pretty compelling little "console". Offer a bundle w/ an 8bitdo controller if they don't want to design their own.

RE4 and Death Stranding are great ports that prove out "AAA" releases, plus you could play things on your Mac/iPad/iPhone as well for portability.

 

[poppabk]

tbh if they just release an AppleTV with M-series chip with universal compatibility for iPad games it would be a pretty compelling little "console". Offer a bundle w/ an 8bitdo controller if they don't want to design their own.

RE4 and Death Stranding are great ports that prove out "AAA" releases, plus you could play things on your Mac/iPad/iPhone as well for portability.

A pretty compelling little $1000 console.

 

[mckmas8808]

This would have been the future for console gaming studios as well had Gamepass/PS Premium taken off.

Bullet dodged for now.

THANK GOD more gamers are starting to see the truth with this subscription stuff. Perfect point!!! This is why I laugh when people say if Xbox fails, Apple can just swoop in and take their spot. How Sway?

 

[mckmas8808]

An attempt will %100 happen imo. And they will likely be far more creatively successful than Xbox and even Sony.

Explain......because I have zero idea what you could be saying here.

They already have products that are capable of playing video games. The future won’t have many (if any) dedicated video game machines. It will just be unnecessary in 10 years when your toaster is capable.

10 years? So in the year 2034 dedicated video game machines will be gone? You do know people said this exact same thing in 2013 too right? Now look where we are....

The vast majority of new AAA games come out for 70 dollars now and if not 70 then 60.

That's pretty standardized.

We should be seeing games come out for a really wide range of prices. GTA6 as I mentioned should probably be 100 dollars if not more.

Nah bruh. Rockstar does better selling GTA6 for $70, but sell 10 million in the first month......then selling it for $100 but only selling 7 million units.

 

[AREYOUOKAY?]

I’m curious how well Wayforward games did there. Though knowing them being so port happy they most likely never planned on keeping their games exclusive in the first place especially Shantae.

 

[Astray]

Explain......because I have zero idea what you could be saying here.

AppleTV has some excellent original series and films and it's less than 5 years old (already won an Academy Award).

The guys at Apple know entertainment and aren't just about services or Office software. They have taste and will curate their content very well.

 

[Astray]

Not sure what PS+ Premium has to do with GamePass... very different models.

But I agree this was the GamePass future in a nutshell.

It's not functioning the same because Sony doesn't/can't burn cash like Xbox once could (and has a better back library to call on that spans many gens), but they are similar models that offer day 1 3rd party titles + access to backcatalog for a monthly fee.

 

[Bitmap Frogs]

I have arcade as part of a bundle and it’s a neat little service with nice mobile games in it.

The problem is that the mobile market is dominated by these juggernauts that leave no oxygen to anyone else. I can assure you quite a lot of kids have access to arcade throu family bundles for Apple Music n shit and instead of checking it out go play genshin or whatever. Fundamentally the tastes in gaming of these kids have been shaped by years of f2p games and the result is that a nice game that explores the mechanics of setlement building to tell a tale niftily weaving mechanics and narrative is not something they care about.

 

[phant0m]

A pretty compelling little $1000 console.

what? the existing model is $129 and has an A15 Bionic which is the basis of the M2.

While I don't work for Apple and have a true BOM I think it should track that an M2 AppleTV would be doable at $249

 

[LordOfChaos]

Apple just doesn't seem to get gaming despite being the most profitable gaming platform holder. It's just not in their DNA, and they only seemed to fall into accidental success with iOS despite not advertising it that way for a long time.

I'd really wish to see some games funded directly from them, adding to the industry, and really showing off what something heavily made for Apple Silicon can really be.

 

[Zuzu]

Apple Arcade recently got an exclusive Sonic 3D platformer which I hope is ported onto all the standard gaming consoles & PC one day. I don’t want it locked away on the service forever.

 

[ResurrectedContrarian]

The only game I play on the phone is Retro Bowl... and that game has almost the same physical controls as the OG mobile game from the earliest iPhone days, Angry Birds.

Surely that tells us something. It's not a medium for high-end gaming, just quick diversions.

 

[Trunx81]

I use Arcade via the family plan of my brother. And the only game I play on a regular basis is Solitaire .. Like already mentioned: Mobile games are best played horizontally and with one hand.

 

[reinking]

I like Apple Arcade and what it does to get rid of the trashy practices but it just doesn’t seem to get enough support. It’s an after thought of an after thought. They should be begging devs to make it bigger than it is and bring more to Apple TV. Unfortunately, Apple isn’t hungry for gamers.

I know the sentiment is “phone games bad” but I play a lot of games on my phone and iPad. I will spare everyone the rant that not all mobile games are bad.

 

[poppabk]

what? the existing model is $129 and has an A15 Bionic which is the basis of the M2.

While I don't work for Apple and have a true BOM I think it should track that an M2 AppleTV would be doable at $249

The m2 Mac mini starts at $600 - would seem the better basis to work from.

 

[ReBurn]

I like Apple Arcade and what it does to get rid of the trashy practices but it just doesn’t seem to get enough support. It’s an after thought of an after thought. They should be begging devs to make it bigger than it is and bring more to Apple TV. Unfortunately, Apple isn’t hungry for gamers.

I know the sentiment is “phone games bad” but I play a lot of games on my phone and iPad. I will spare everyone the rant that not all mobile games are bad.

I play arcade games on my iPad quite a bit. I got a 3 month trial for Apple Arcade when I bought my M2 iPad Pro last year and it was cool to see no nagging or ads in any of the games I played. It felt like there weren't any must have games that I hadn't already played before and for me it got stale pretty quickly. But if someone likes mobile games there's a lot there for 7 bucks a month.