It has now been more than 3 years since Apple Arcade was officially launched, and the service has grown significantly: the catalog has grown from just over 70 titles to over 200. CNET was able to chat with Matt Fischer, vice-president of the App Store to take stock. If the answers are rather agreed, some elements remain interesting.
According to him, the launch of the service was a challenge given that it was necessary to inaugurate a new economic model, namely that of the subscription for a bouquet of games to download. ” There were a lot of last minute changes and tweaks but it all fell into place and it was a great launch “, explains Matt Fischer. The vice-president does not fail to compare his service to the competition:
We were not only proud of the amazing content we had, but also that we launched our games service with more new titles than any other service before. This includes services like Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Plus, EA Play, and Nintendo Switch Online.
Microsoft has Halo, Sony has Mario, and Apple has… Sneaky Sasquatch. Asked about the lack of license phrase helping to popularize the service, Matt Fischer explains that the game offering to embody a factious yeti continues to see its popularity climb over the years. ” Fans of the game all over the world, of all ages, tell us how much they love Sneaky Sasquatch. We see a bright future for Sneaky “. Rather than focusing on making a single hitApple prefers to put the package on the catalog to reach a wide audience.
Apple explains that it meets the demand of its customers by integrating many games casuals next to more advanced titles. It is this demand that would have motivated the appearance of categories such as “classics” of the App Store: titles such as Fruit Ninja+ or Solitaire+ are regularly found in the top games of Apple Arcade. Cupertino also makes sure to scrutinize user reviews and feedback.
Most important to us is player satisfaction: do they understand the benefits of the subscription model, are they aware of the incredible selection of games the service has available to them, do they stay subscribed and do they find the value in the service?
CNET also addressed the angry subject, namely the disappearance about fifteen games from the catalog withdrawn following what appears to be non-renewal of contract. Matt Fischer avoids the question a bit: he explains that Apple is trying to have ” a steady pace ” with only ” a handful of games leaving each month to focus on adding new titles. So far, only one wave of suppression has taken place this summer: it remains to be seen when the next one will be.
The journalist also asks if Apple has planned to produce a machine 100% dedicated to Apple Arcade or a possible controller, to which the vice-president replies that the goal for the moment is to focus on the construction of the catalog and on the player satisfaction. ” We are delighted with the performance of the service and its growth so far “, he says.
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