Apple has said it will begin charging users an annual subscription rate of US$50 per year, instead of the usual monthly tariff.
Instead of paying US$5 per month, users can now pay for a full 12-months option at discounted prices. That gets you unlimited access to Apple Arcade approved games that contain no adverts, and no microtransactions.
The move brings Apple’s gameplay platform in line with pricing for other services, such as Apple Music and Apple TV+. As with those other services, one user can share their account to up to six users.
How does that compare to rival gaming platforms? Xbox has its subscription program called Xbox Game Pass, which costs US$10 per month (or US$100 per year). Meanwhile, Google’s Stadia streaming platform gives you Pro tier access for US$10 per month. PlayStation also runs something similar called Now, and that costs US$10 per month but just US$60 per year.
All this proves that Apple is trying to capture a bigger chunk of the mobile gaming market, which might not be a bad idea.
According to website Statista, the App Store currently boasts almost 1 million gaming apps, and this year alone saw users across the world spend over US$70 billion on the Apple App Store and Google Play alone.
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