In the six years since Apple Arcade debuted, it’s has grown its game offerings (to more than 250) and maintains its credo of family-friendly content, but the game streaming service is looking for a bigger audience.

“”Apple has a very large customer base,” Apple Arcade Senior Director Alex Rothman told  The Verge. “There’s no narrow lane that we can operate in and satisfy the broad base of Apple users.”

 That broad base has led to a multifaceted strategy of game acquisitions for the service, the article notes. In response to player feedback, in 2021 Arcade expanded beyond exclusive titles and started bringing in classic games like sudoku, chess, and more. Then it took the games already popular on the App Store, like Fruit Ninja and Stardew Valley, and brought them to Arcade with their ads and in-app purchases removed.

“Today, we offer a pretty broad and deep catalog of more than 250 family-friendly games from across genres,” Rofman said. Apple Arcade continues to grow and add games every month, and works on supporting the games already within the service.

And it’s possible that Apple will start making its own games. In May Apple purchased game studio RAC7, the two-person studio behind the hit game, Sneaky Sasquatch.

This is the first time that Apple has acquired a video game studio, but the company describes the move as a unique situation. RAC7 is a two-person studio whose previous credits include indie titles Dark Echo and Splitter Critters. In 2019, the team released Sneaky Sasquatch as an Apple Arcade exclusive. 

The adventure game was a breakout hit among the service’s 71 launch titles, according to Apple, and it has received regular updates since launch. Now, the team will continue its partnership with Apple as an internal studio.

Pricing and availability

  • Apple Arcade is available for US$6.99 (U.S.) per month with a one-month free trial. Customers who purchase a new iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV receive three months of Apple Arcade for free.1
  • Apple Arcade is part of Apple One’s Individual ($19.95), Family ($25.95), and Premier ($37.95) monthly plans, with a one-month free trial.2
  • Arcade Originals are playable across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro. App Store Greats are available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro.
  • An Apple Arcade subscription gives a family of up to six unlimited access to all the games in its catalog.
  • Availability for the 200+ games across devices varies based on hardware and software compatibility. Some content may not be available in all areas.

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Article provided with permission from AppleWorld.Today