In 2019 Apple I launched its own signature service Apple Arcade with access to games for iOS devices and computers with MacOS on board. The company actively replenished the catalog and invited many studios to cooperate, but currently developers express concerns regarding the future site.
Portal Mobilegamer.Biz talked with several developers who create games for Apple Arcade. According to them, over the service "the smell of death" is hanging, so Apple can prepare another restart. Last time, the site was seriously shook in 2021, when the company decided to transfer the “eternal classics” like Sudoku, as well as the best projects from the App Store to Arcade, including Fruit Ninja, Mini Metro and so on.
Below were collected the most interesting facts from the article:
In the first months of Apple Arcade, the developers almost bathed in money due to advance payments and payments for each installation. The head of one studio admitted that his company would not exist if it were not for support Apple, although the corporation is often unpredictable and demanding on work.
If you believe the interlocutors https://nonukcasinosites.co.uk/how-to-get-around-gamstop/ of Mobilegamer.Biz, the volume of payments began to gradually decline from October 2020 and still falls. Advance payments also reduced. Some developers believe that the idea to send a game in Arcade sounds not as tempting as before.
Teams cannot get from Apple a clear answer why payments are less. The company dismisses evasive formulations and refers to an internal opaque indicator called "Qualification session". For example, bonus payments are calculated on this metric, but none of the game developers know what this session is exactly. "She is somehow connected with whether the game was launched, how long a person has played and how often he returns to it", – said another anonymous specialist.
As part of the reboot of 2021 Apple canceled a heap of projects, which angered many people. "Yablons" did not bother to properly explain the essence of the new rules, and also ignored some developers. For example, one of the bosses told that at first the Arcade team applauded his game, and then sharply lost interest in it just because of the new policy. The developer suggested making changes, but at the other end they simply stopped responding to letters.
The smell of death was present. I got the impression that they themselves did not know where to move with all this. As if they were not sure if they would remain when working in the future.
One of the interlocutors of the site
The teams complained about the promotion system in the service, which, as one of the interlocutors put it, is “similar to an attempt to squeeze blood from stone”. Some had to almost beg Apple, To play the game on the Arcade tab.
Currently, the service is concentrated at family games, which are part of large and famous franchises. Also, once a month they produce one or two fun in the “Best of the App Store” category, from which they cut out advertising and microtransactions.
By the way about the reprinted games from the store. Their authors do not receive an advance when publishing in Arcade.
If you rely on Mobilegamer sources.Biz, Apple can again restart Arcade due to the appearance of a competitor in the person Netflix – Streaming giant also acquired a subscription game service. Unlike "Yablons", Netflix pays only for placing the titles on the site, but pashes rather generous offers. Many of those with whom the journalists managed to communicate are called such a model more acceptable, since it is easier to work with it. Experts know that now Netflix actively pumps the service with content. So sooner or later the flow of funds can also run out, as happened with Arcade.
Many people hope that competition will spur Apple improve Arcade, but first, management needs to understand the value of interactive entertainment. This was stated by one of the interlocutors of the site: “At the very top of the company should be imbued with passion and respect for games. Now this is not ".
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