Yesterday’s Apple Special Event still has everyone talking about that crazy camera config on the iPhone 11 and the ridiculous prices of all the new devices (same old, same old). Here at Kakuchopurei, we’re particularly interested in one gaming-related announcement: the launching of Apple Arcade.

For Americans, Apple Arcade will go live on 19 September 2019 for just US$4.99 per month. That’s basically 5 dollars cheaper than a personal Spotify premium account there. For Malaysians and Singaporeans, Apple Arcade will be launching on 20 September 2019 for a monthly payment of RM19.90 and S$6.98 per month respectively.

The Pathless, a game from the creators of Abzu.

This is actually pretty huge because Apple’s offer is extremely competitive especially when taking into account the constantly-rising number of mobile gamers. Coupled together with multi-device syncing across the Apple family of products, this could convince a lot of people into becoming more dedicated gamers.

It gets even better when you realise that the subscription isn’t just a personal one, it can be used for up to five family members. For Malaysians, that’s pretty much RM4 per person. Even crazier for Singaporeans, it’s just a bit over a dollar per person. Getting unlimited access to more than a hundred titles launching just in 2019 for that price? Crazy.

Now it wouldn’t be all that exciting if the games were just more of what we’ve seen in the free section of the Apple App Store. Thankfully, that’s not the case. From arena brawler LEGO Brawl to open world RPG Oceanhorn 2, there’s an extremely impressive collection of titles for the subscribers.

The Zelda-inspired Oceanhorn 2 will also be part of the subscription.

Will Apple Arcade change the way people approach gaming? Judging by how Apple revolutionised cell phones and computers, I’m fairly confident that Apple Arcade will be a service that prompts more developers and publishers to create more ambitious games for mobiles and tablets.

Oh, did I also mention that you can download your games so that you can play them offline? Cherry on top.

For more information, check out the official Apple Arcade webpage here (Malaysia) and here (Singapore).