Move on up
A NEW CHALLENGER
Within days of Apple Arcade’s official launch, Google unveiled its own equivalent, though rather than take the wind out of Apple’s sails it ends up flattering it. Google Play Pass offers not only games, but also apps, for the same monthly fee as Apple Arcade – and instead of brand-new games, it bundles up such vintage wares as Limbo, 80 Days and Mini Metro. Crucially, while Apple is (at least for launch) giving developers a lump sum to get their games on Apple Arcade, Google’s compensation for creators will be based on playtime. The lingering concern around gaming subscription services is that they will do to devs what Spotify did to musicians; the reaction to Google’s move suggests the industry is far from ready for it.
e are half an hour into , the sublime puzzler/brawler from developer Capy Games, when the penny drops and we realise just how special, how immediately vital, Apple Arcade is for mobile games. We’ve recently acquired our first Blueprint, from which we can craft a single-use item. We brace ourselves for impact: surely this is where this so-far-delightful little game is going to make its first move for our wallets. There’ll be a crafting timer, we suspect, that we can reduce to zero
