Apple Arcade is a huge success. We’re not talking about that, but the over 100 million users who are predicted to religiously pay (increasingly higher) monthly access fees by 2022. this particular “Netflix of mobile video games”. By the way, something that fully competes with Netflix in this field.

Of course, he does this with more and more problems. This is revealed at Mobilegamer.biz, where they have their finger on the pulse of a service that has quietly become a major benchmark for the video game subscription model. Microsoft announced that Xbox Game Pass, the clear reference for consoles and PCs, recently surpassed 34 million subscribers.

But the developers, the absolute heart of the service, are not happy. One of them commented on Mobilegamer: There is a “smell of death” in Apple ArcadeOthers believe that the current situation will cause the service to be reactivated.

The sources they spoke with indicate that developers are making less and less revenue from their games, and that Apple Arcade is particularly picky about the games that make it into its catalog: Very few original games are accepted unless they’re clearly associated with family IPs. The perfect example of this is the Disney character games that have hit the service in recent years.

There are even more problems lately, and as some developers have noted, Apple is famous for its “vindictive” attitude and the tech giant will “believe” developers if it learns they’ve signed a deal with Netflix’s rival service.

‘What is a Car?’ Available on Apple Arcade.

It wasn’t always like this. When the service launched in 2019, upfront payments to developers were very generous, with payments corresponding to the popularity of their games on the platform; The more they played the game, the more they won. Almost all of the games released at that time were profitable from day one, and this was a lifesaver for development studios and indie developers.

Although the situation is problematic still good for some work“Despite its flaws, we are very happy with it,” he said. [Apple] There is arcade. “It made high-end mobile gaming viable.”

However, others explain that the situation began to worsen since October 2020, and after the change of strategy in the spring of 2021, Apple “cancelled many projects and angered many people,” according to one of these sources.

The change in strategy means Apple Arcade is now focusing on games with some form of intellectual property associated with family gaming, but communication with some studios is also poor. One of them noted that after months of positive comments about the game’s development, the Apple Arcade team suddenly stopped showing interest and responding to their emails.

First and subsequent payments also appear Being exposed to decline without explanation or explanation by Apple. According to one developer, “We will see this amount gradually decrease, down to a penny. At that point, putting a game on Arcade will become much less viable.”

It’s also particularly difficult for Apple to get developers to promote their games. The Arcade has a section of featured games, but one of them explained that being there was “like getting blood from a stone.”

During, Netflix looks like it’s becoming an increasingly attractive proposition– Offers generous upfront payments, but doesn’t give developers more money the more they play on their platform. Netflix is ​​easier to work with, but developers acknowledge that the company has invested heavily in bringing its mobile gaming platform to life. This means the same thing could happen on Apple Arcade.

In fact, these developers emphasized how important competition is. One of them explained that Netflix’s presence “forces Apple to continue to be relevant and competitive.” He also had good things to say about Google Play Pass, saying it’s “actually pretty good for developers, but the marketing is terrible.”

Image | manzana

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