In the wave of digital games, Apple created its online gaming platform, Apple Arcade, which debuted last week (19). But what does it really have to offer us again? Does it have something other platforms don't offer?
The gaming platform created by Apple is paid, although it offers a free trial period, but in return it offers benefits. The first one is a library with more than 100 games to download and play offline or online with friends, so far we don't have anything out of the ordinary for what we already have in the current market. However, the company has implemented a feature that few game developers offer yet (it was seen in the Destiny 2 game), which is cross-platform. Through this functionality it is possible to play the same game, with the same save on several platforms (known as cross-save) such as, for example, iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV.
Apple intends to make deals with several developers in order to release good games for its new platform. However, this is an arduous path for Apple against competitors such as Sony (Playstation), Microsoft (XBox), Nintendo (Switch), Steam (PC), Epic Games (PC) and others. This is due to the "race for exclusivity", where large producers and distributors buy studios or pay a large amount for the exclusivity of games from a given developer (see the example of game Control).
Another Apple Arcade promise is that it doesn't have ads, which is really interesting for those who play mobile games, but is that enough? Many games today have the microtransaction feature implemented, where the developer manages to raise a considerable amount at times, not needing to place ads in their game. With that we get into another discussion that is about having fun without spending it.
Many today complain about the fact that games are developed already thinking about charging mechanisms for items, as it ends up "losing the fun" when the microtransactions feature is implemented in an exaggerated way, with high prices of packages and items and almost "forcing" the player to buy them. Looking at it this way, Apple's proposal may start to get interesting.
The future of the platform created by "apple" is uncertain and there is still a lot to be done to make it a success. It will certainly be a very arduous task compared to its competitors and will need a lot of innovation and good developers on its side to become a real competition for the big game distributors and developers, mainly because the game streaming is "knocking on the door" for be launched on the market.
