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Apple Eyeing A 'Netflix For Games' Subscription Service, Report Claims

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Apple has always said how popular games are in its App Store, making up a significant chunk of the Store's downloads and a bigger portion of revenue, thanks to in-app purchases.

David Phelan

It now seems that Apple may be looking to do with games what it has already done with music. Sure, you lose some of those album sales on iTunes, but you earn a regular $9.99 a month on Apple Music. There's no clue at this point what Apple would charge for a games subscription.

Since we know that Apple is already creating original video content for a likely subscription service to rival Netflix, mightn't the company look into something similar on the games front?

After all, Netflix recently said its biggest competitor wasn’t other streaming services but Epic’s Fortnite.

The rumor, widely reported by sites including Cheddar and Apple Insider, suggests that Apple is beginning to explore how to create a subscription service to give access to titles in return for a monthly fee.

Apparently, discussions began last year, though they are in far-from-final stages. No surprise, then, that details are scant.

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For example, will the subscription simply give you access to games that are usually paid-for, or will it stretch to in-app purchases for free-to-download games as well?

That sounds like it could cost the developers a lot in terms of lost in-app money, but the idea is not without precedent.

Amazon already has an app called Amazon Underground, available on the company’s Fire tablets. This promises that in-app items normally paid for are available free. It’s a very cool deal, but it’s not available on all the latest games and in fact, only a small number of games are available, a fraction of the Google Play Store range. What’s more, the Underground program will close this year.

Perhaps Apple has been checking this out to see if it could learn from Amazon’s mistakes. Well, Amazon didn’t charge a subscription, so it sounds like Apple is wise to that. Amazon charged by showing advertisements from time to time. It also reimbursed app developers by paying them for the time gamers were playing.

If in-app items are included and you are the sort of person who spends a lot on them, you could save money.

David Phelan

But while Apple Music subscribers may play the same albums or tracks for months or years in their favorite playlists, the same may not apply to games. Sure, it’s fun to have the occasional nostalgic blast on the original Angry Birds, but does anyone really play it a lot these days? Or Pokémon Go?

As such, the subscription method isn't quite as obvious a way to go for games as it is for music.

Apple needs to ensure the roster includes the very latest hits to make subscribing an appealing thought. After all, despite what I just said, I'm always happy to go back and have just one more blast on Alto's Odyssey.

And, of course, the timing is interesting. It seems like hardware sales may be hitting a plateau, and that Apple is increasingly focusing on services to boost revenue.

Well, this would certainly help with that.

And that’s not all. Apparently, Apple may be thinking of moving into games publishing as well. This is certainly a risky addition to the company’s portfolio, but not as risky as making your own TV shows. It’s an intriguing proposition.

As with everything Apple-related, until it’s actually announced, it doesn’t exist, and the company spends a lot of time and money deciding whether something should happen. If it doesn’t think it can make it work and work brilliantly, it will drop the idea.

If this service were to happen, my guess is it could be announced as soon as in June at WWDC. To be clear, I mean June 2020!

These deals take time to finalize.

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