Thread by @ZhugeEX

Ok. Let’s talk about Apple Arcade.

$4.99 a month for access to a library of games across Apple devices. Good publisher support. Strong push from Apple to expand its gaming services and offering.

App Store Gaming revenue in 2018 was $33b according to Sensor Tower.

Pricing:

Extremely competitive compared to other game and even non game subscription services.

Addition of family sharing means 6 family members can share one sub at just $4.99 a month.

One month free trial provides an easy way to jump in and try out games with no commitment.

Games:

Apple has been able to court top developers to support the service.

There is a good mix of known IP and original games, most of which have been developed exclusively for the platform.

Most seem to be bitesize / touch orientated titles, but still appeal to core gamers

Promotion:

The App Store will have an arcade tab front and centre to help discoverability.

Couple the above with a free month trial + $4.99 monthly price and it is a fairly attractive offer.

New games launching into the service should keep things fresh.

Whilst Apple hits a lot of the key points required for a successful subscription service, it remains to be seen whether certain segments, such as F2P mobile gamers, would even consider a paid subscription as an option.

Therefore limiting the potential of the service.

It seems like Apple is trying to reach a very broad audience based on the games that have been shown and the flexibility of the service in terms of features and devices.

This is certainly a good thing, but ultimately it's going to come down to the appeal of the games.

One segment that may be interested in Apple Arcade are parents who are very aware of how F2P games can be predatory or lead to high phone bills from kids playing them.

No IAP + Offline play + touch friendly games is appealing for parents who would pay $5 for peace of mind.

Apple Arcade is offering unique titles that focus on quality and build off known IP or core genres such as RPG / Action etc...

Console and PC gamers may find those games appealing, knowing they can play via touch on an iPad or hook up a controller to their Apple TV / Mac.

For the broader and more casual audience the sell is a bit tougher, especially as free to play titles can more or less offer the same quality or complexity these days.

As above, it's going to come down to content and being able to differentiate from F2P games to provide value.

One final point is that Apple Arcade could expand fairly quickly if successful. Not just talking about more exclusive titles here. Through cloud gaming it could start to offer true console and PC titles across its range of devices.

But that's a conversation for another time.

Conscious the above thread may have come across as If I expect the service to do really well, but was mainly pointing out the strengths and segments it may appeal to.

Ultimately it's going to struggle reaching that wider base of users I talked about, will remain niche initially.