Samuel Axon
Apple recently announced that new games are coming to Apple Arcade, its game subscription service for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and Vision Pro headsets. The title is the title Vampire survivors, a hit now that combined the gameplay of bullet hell shooters and the addictive quality of clickers to become a mega sensation two years ago. It comes too Temple Run: LegendsAn updated review of the popular game from 2011.
Vampire survivors was already available in the App Store, but was ad-supported with the ability to spend money in-app to get additional content. Dubbed Apple Arcade version Vampire Survivors+, more similar to the ad-free PC or Xbox versions. Both paid extensions will be included at no extra charge.
In the meantime, Temple Run: Legends is a completely new game (not just a remake of the original Temple Run) that earns the “endless runner” genre tag by splitting the game into individual levels – although there will also be some kind of optional endless mode.
If you haven’t played it Vampire survivors before, it’s worth a try. Both titles will launch on August 1st.
Arcade could use some fresh and risky choices
These new additions are the latest in a line of Apple Arcade games built with a risk-averse, if-only-proven mentality that more or less ensures the subscription service won’t have any surprise hits. that attracts people.
When Apple Arcade launched, its initial lineup was an impressive mix of casual and indie titles, some of which went on to become popular on other platforms after Arcade’s exclusivity ended. However, there were earlier reports that Arcade wasn’t gaining the traction Apple had hoped for, so the company quickly shifted gears. Sustained, persistent engagement has become the primary metric for judging success, leading to a preference for games as a service as opposed to standalone or narrative experiences. And it began releasing games primarily based on established intellectual properties, such as Hello Kitty or Star Wars, as well as re-releases of games that had proven successful elsewhere on the App Store.
Many of these re-releases harked back to the early days of the App Store more than a decade ago, when premium titles ruled and free-to-play games didn’t take the reins.
This week, Apple released a new game as a service on its mobile IP from 2011, and it’s now a viral hit just months after its virality waned. I’m not saying that nobody cares and doesn’t play Vampire survivors now, but imagine how much more it would have driven iPhone owners to Arcade if it had been around when it first made headlines.
It took a while for Apple to shift from its initial strategy of approaching creative new developers who presented interesting work at events like IndieCade to relying only on games that proved they could be successful, already proven popular IPs. or seasoned developers who have already made waves in the App Store. Maybe Apple didn’t give this strategy enough chances.
What we have now is a secure subscription service that curates the best of what other people have already discovered and (thankfully) eliminates ads and microtransactions. It’s a pretty good value proposition, especially for the price. But it’s unlikely that we won’t see hits on Arcade making waves among gamers, influencers, or the press, as Apple often follows, not leads, titles with this service.