Apple Arcade Gains Four New Games

[MacRumors]

Apple's subscription gaming service Apple Arcade is being updated with four new games today, including Wheel of Fortune Daily, Drive Ahead! Carcade, Arkanoid vs Space Invaders+, and Texas Hold'em Poker: Pokerist+.

Wheel of Fortune Daily is modeled after the popular TV gameshow, providing players with a short daily puzzle to solve. Gameplay works like the TV series, starting with a selection of letters and allowing players to spin the wheel and guess additional letters to solve a phrase.

Drive Ahead! Carcade is a multiplayer PVP car battle game where the players smash into each other until just one car is left standing. Arkanoid vs Space Invaders+ is a classic game that has returned to the iPhone via Apple Arcade. It merges the gameplay of both Space Invaders and Arkanoid, and the goal is to reflect attacks to destroy enemies and break blocks.

Texas Hold'em Poker: Pokerist lets players compete against others in a series of casino games like Blackjack, Omaha poker, video poker, Split Bet Poker, and Set Poker. There are weekly tournaments and special modes to play.

Apple Arcade is priced at $6.99 per month, which gives up to six members of a Family Sharing group unlimited access to Apple Arcade games. Apple Arcade titles do not have ads or in-app purchases.

Article Link: Apple Arcade Gains Four New Games

 

[mjs916]

I’m still upset at them removing Sayonara Wild Hearts.

 

[Olde Dave]

I really wish they would let me drop Apple Arcade from my Apple One subscription and replace it with Apple News.

 

[Rob__Mac]

Why does a company with the reach, userbase and resources that Apple has, not have a game offering with multiple AAA games?

 

[macos9rules]

Another card game…

 

[antiprotest]

Naggers!

 

[Analog Kid]

Why does a company with the reach, userbase and resources that Apple has, not have a game offering with multiple AAA games?

Because people don't play AAA games on the subway or waiting for someone to arrive for lunch.

Yes there's a market for high production value, technology pushing, high quality play action that builds on a deep narrative-- but there's a much bigger market for something, anything, that avoids needing to confront the horror of one's own thoughts in the in-between times.

 

[apparatchik]

Why does a company with the reach, userbase and resources that Apple has, not have a game offering with multiple AAA games?

Exactly, an Apple TV+ like war chest for AAA gaming.

Apple Arcade is an amazing service that fulfills the casual gaming segment.

The full AAA gaming experience though, is beyond me why Apple doesn't go after it as well.

 

[apparatchik]

Because people don't play AAA games on the subway or waiting for someone to arrive for lunch.

The Nintendo Switch would like to have a word with you.

The Switch is considered the current winner of console gaming, at its 7 year old mark it keeps outselling the Xbox S/X series 2:1 worldwide and it has now become the best sold dedicated gaming device in history.

You might also want to look at the surge of the Steam Deck and similar devices, including the Playstation Portal.

Besides, Apple makes the Apple TV and current USB-C iPhone's and iPad's can be hooked to a TV and a Bluetooth controller...

 

[Populus]

I’m still upset at them removing Sayonara Wild Hearts.

The moment they remove Fantasian, they’ve lost me.

 

[Analog Kid]

The Nintendo Switch would like to have a word with you.

The Switch is considered the current winner of console gaming, at its 7 year old mark it keeps outselling the Xbox S/X series 2:1 worldwide and it has now become the best sold dedicated gaming device in history.

You might also want to look at the surge of the Steam Deck and similar devices, including the Playstation Portal.

Besides, Apple makes the Apple TV and current USB-C iPhone's and iPad's can be hooked to a TV and a Bluetooth controller...

Switch doesn't hold a candle to iPhone.

Switch has now shifted over 146.04 million units worldwide since its launch in March 2017

In fiscal 2017 [...] Apple saw iPhone unit shipments tick up 2% year over year to 216.8 million units.

I'm guessing sales are declining after 7 years on the market, but even if we assume they're selling a steady 20 million Switch a year, it's taking more than 10 years to match what iPhone sold in 2017 alone.

Apple TV, playing your phone through a TV-- it all misses the point. Yes the hardware could run the games you want, but people don't buy those games in the quantity they buy count-the-cats time wasters.

 

[dwaite]

The Nintendo Switch would like to have a word with you.

The Switch is considered the current winner of console gaming, at its 7 year old mark it keeps outselling the Xbox S/X series 2:1 worldwide and it has now become the best sold dedicated gaming device in history.

You might also want to look at the surge of the Steam Deck and similar devices, including the Playstation Portal.

Besides, Apple makes the Apple TV and current USB-C iPhone's and iPad's can be hooked to a TV and a Bluetooth controller...

I think it is really that people don't pay AAA game prices on cellphones.

The Wii showed if a system is popular enough that people will do original work for it and its quirky controls. But the mobile phone gaming market is all idle games for whales propped up by scammy ads. There aren't enough people willing to pay $25+ for a title to justify the work for a complex port.

 

[Rradcircless]

Literally only Warped Kart Racers and Oceanhorn 2 were the only games I’ve ever played with Arcade. Not one of these new game drop articles ever interest me.

 

[DownUnderDan]

Switch doesn't hold a candle to iPhone.

Switch has now shifted over 146.04 million units worldwide since its launch in March 2017

In fiscal 2017 [...] Apple saw iPhone unit shipments tick up 2% year over year to 216.8 million units.

I'm guessing sales are declining after 7 years on the market, but even if we assume they're selling a steady 20 million Switch a year, it's taking more than 10 years to match what iPhone sold in 2017 alone.

Apple TV, playing your phone through a TV-- it all misses the point. Yes the hardware could run the games you want, but people don't buy those games in the quantity they buy count-the-cats time wasters.

How in any way is this stat relevant? I have an iPhone, but I wouldn't know what Apple Arcade was if I fell over it. The Switch is a dedicated gaming device purchased by people with one intention and one intention only - to play games. That is not the intended purpose of the iPhone. It is at best a nice bonus for a subset of iPhone customers.

 

[Chungry]

Switch doesn't hold a candle to iPhone.

Switch has now shifted over 146.04 million units worldwide since its launch in March 2017

In fiscal 2017 [...] Apple saw iPhone unit shipments tick up 2% year over year to 216.8 million units.

I'm guessing sales are declining after 7 years on the market, but even if we assume they're selling a steady 20 million Switch a year, it's taking more than 10 years to match what iPhone sold in 2017 alone.

Apple TV, playing your phone through a TV-- it all misses the point. Yes the hardware could run the games you want, but people don't buy those games in the quantity they buy count-the-cats time wasters.

iPhone games, quality-wise don’t hold a candle to decades-old consoles. So there’s that (and the whole quantity doesn’t equal quality thing but you know this already)

 

[MichaelQ]

The quality of these "new" games is terrible. They look so cheap and nasty they would have stood out as garbage back on iOS 2 or 3.

 

[Naraxus]

Why does a company with the reach, userbase and resources that Apple has, not have a game offering with multiple AAA games?

Because Apple never has, nor ever will, get gaming.

 

[Naraxus]

Switch doesn't hold a candle to iPhone.

Switch has now shifted over 146.04 million units worldwide since its launch in March 2017

In fiscal 2017 [...] Apple saw iPhone unit shipments tick up 2% year over year to 216.8 million units.

I'm guessing sales are declining after 7 years on the market, but even if we assume they're selling a steady 20 million Switch a year, it's taking more than 10 years to match what iPhone sold in 2017 alone.

Apple TV, playing your phone through a TV-- it all misses the point. Yes the hardware could run the games you want, but people don't buy those games in the quantity they buy count-the-cats time wasters.

If the Switch had internet & phone capabilities you might have a point. As it is the iPhone doesn't hold a candle to the Switch.

Quantity of games is on Apple's side, although it's mostly mobile drek with a couple decade-old ports mixed in.

Quality of games is where the Switch puts the iPhone to shame. Nintendo's own ip like Mario & Zelda, third-party ip like Overwatch 2, Fortnite, Star Wars, Story of Seasons, Resident Evil and ofc Switch Online for the retro fix.

Apple for whatever reasons have never got gaming or the reasons behind what makes it so popular.

There's also one giant elephant in the room and that's the fact that like 95% of the die-hard gamers out there want absolutely nothing to do with anything Apple or as little as Apple as they can get away with. It's one of the main reasons developers don't day-&-date their titles with Windows & MacOS - the playerbase and more importantly the money - just isn't there to justify the costs of creating a game for both at the same time.

 

[Analog Kid]

How in any way is this stat relevant? I have an iPhone, but I wouldn't know what Apple Arcade was if I fell over it. The Switch is a dedicated gaming device purchased by people with one intention and one intention only - to play games. That is not the intended purpose of the iPhone. It is at best a nice bonus for a subset of iPhone customers.

You’re saying that like you somehow disagree with me. Did you read the response chain? That’s exactly my point. Apple doesn’t focus on AAA games because that’s not what the vast majority of people are looking for on their phone.

My stat is relevant because I was responding to someone who thought the popularity of the Switch proved me wrong. The Switch popularity is trivial compared to the number of people who have a phone in their pocket all day everyday and just want a distraction when they’re in the crapper.

 

[Analog Kid]

iPhone games, quality-wise don’t hold a candle to decades-old consoles. So there’s that (and the whole quantity doesn’t equal quality thing but you know this already)

C’mon, people. This thread hasn’t event reached a second page— is it that hard to scroll back a bit for context rather than give a knee jerk response to one post?

I specifically made the point that these games aren’t competing on quality— and people don’t care. They aren’t looking to be immersed, they’re looking to be distracted. That’s what the vast majority of gaming is on iPhone and that’s who Arcade caters to— specifically the part of that group that doesn’t want ads, micropayments, gem packs, or data mining and parents who don’t want those things for their kids.

 

[threesixty360]

I don’t understand the problem here?
Are people asking Apple to buy studios to make AAA games? Or are they asking them to become a 1st party developer like Nintendo?

Any games company can make them for an Apple system. It’s got controller support on all iOS/mac devices and the graphics on lots of devices are at least as good as if not better than nintendos switch.

So why are people blaming Apple?
Software is a software company problem not a hardware company problem.

 

[svish]

Good to know about the new additions to Arcade

 

[apparatchik]

I don’t understand the problem here?
Are people asking Apple to buy studios to make AAA games? Or are they asking them to become a 1st party developer like Nintendo?

Any games company can make them for an Apple system. It’s got controller support on all iOS/mac devices and the graphics on lots of devices are at least as good as if not better than nintendos switch.

So why are people blaming Apple?
Software is a software company problem not a hardware company problem.

They could do both, because, as Nintendo has proved over and over, content is king.

And my point all along (lookup my previous comment) is that the hardware and form factor is already there, iPhones and iPads have best in class graphics, far superior than the Switch and on par now with PS4 Pro levels, and what Apple devices are lacking is AAA content, and for that, just like they didn’t have a streaming service or any expertise on running one, we now have Apple TV+.

Apple TV+ produces (finances) exclusive films and tv series, acquires distribution rights for upcoming content, etc.

We just need a similar strategy (and financial muscle) for AAA gaming, both by acquiring studios, financing ports on day one release, etc.

 

[threesixty360]

They could do both, because, as Nintendo has proved over and over, content is king.

And my point all along (lookup my previous comment) is that the hardware and form factor is already there, iPhones and iPads have best in class graphics, far superior than the Switch and on par now with PS4 Pro levels, and what Apple devices are lacking is AAA content, and for that, just like they didn’t have a streaming service or any expertise on running one, we now have Apple TV+.

Apple TV+ produces (finances) exclusive films and tv series, acquires distribution rights for upcoming content, etc.

We just need a similar strategy (and financial muscle) for AAA gaming, both by acquiring studios, financing ports on day one release, etc.

But that was my question. Is it Apple's fault? the platform is there, why cant software companies make the games for it? If they dont want to make the games they must feel there isnt much money in it, despite the platform being capable.

Spo if the job is Apple to convince devs, where is the upside for Apple? Are they prepared to spend billions and years making a handful of games like they do with movies? That strategy isnt even working 100% with Apple TV+, so why do that for AAA games?

I dont really understand what people are asking Apple to do here?

 

[apparatchik]

But that was my question. Is it Apple's fault? the platform is there, why cant software companies make the games for it? If they dont want to make the games they must feel there isnt much money in it, despite the platform being capable.

Spo if the job is Apple to convince devs, where is the upside for Apple? Are they prepared to spend billions and years making a handful of games like they do with movies? That strategy isnt even working 100% with Apple TV+, so why do that for AAA games?

I dont really understand what people are asking Apple to do here?

You bring up a very interesting point, where is the upside for Apple, as in, there can't be that much more devices they can sell than they aren't already.

But, in the console gaming market, the profits have never being in the hardware, but in the content, Nintendo / Microsoft / Sony get a share of everything sold on their digital storefronts.

One could argue, if Apple has invested (and probably sunk) so much money on the build up of Apple TV+, why wouldn't they do the same on a potentially more profitable endeavour, after all, video games now eclipse the music and film industries combined in the entertainment business.

Then, I'd argue making the Apple ecosystem a first class target for AAA gaming, would bring secondary benefits in terms of, say, Mac sales for video game development, just like the iPhone's app store did for mobile app development.

Basically I'd like to (ask might not be the word) Apple to do an Apple TV+ for games so I don't have to rely on Windows (or a console) for certain experiences when the hardware and ecosystem is already there.

Just to be clear, the underlying thinking here is that there's an egg and chicken problem regarding AAA games here, and Apple could solve it by jumpstarting enough exclusives, etc.