Apple said to be pumping in $500 million to rope in game developers for 'Arcade'

Apple Arcade, the Cupertino-giant's recently announced video game subscription service, will reportedly be supported by investments worth over $500 million, further highlights its importance to the company’s plans.As per sources close to Financial Times, Apple is spending several million dollars on more than 100 games for Apple Arcade. The report stated that Apple's allocated budget for securing games for the service is pegged at more than $500 million. If this figure is anything to go by, it represents a fairly large commitment, especially when considering that the budget for the initial roster of shows for Apple TV Plus is just $1 billion.[caption id="attachment_6325581" align="alignnone" width="1024"]

Apple Arcade is expected to arrive in Fall 2019. Image: Apple[/caption]The report also claimed that Apple is offering incentives to developers if they choose to release games as Apple Arcade exclusives.As per another report by 9To5Mac, all of the games offered in Apple Arcade will be exclusive to the platform and will not be available on the Google Play Store. The deal with developers are for “mobile exclusive” titles, so the games may also be eventually released on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, but just not on Android. Nor will Apple Arcade games be available on the App Store as separate downloads.Analysts from HSBC, speaking to the Financial Times, predict that Apple Arcade revenues will grow from $370 million in 2020 to a whopping $2.7 billion in 2022, and to $4.5 billion in 2024. By then, analysts predict that the service, which has been priced at $12.99 per month is going to attract as many as 29 million subscribers.

It remains to be seen if Apple will be able to reach significant success with Apple Arcade, but the company definitely has the money to spend to boost the service.From what we gather so far, Apple Arcade will feature a wide selection of games that may be downloaded and played on iOS, Mac, and Apple TV. It will launch this fall through the App Store, with titles such as The Pathless, Lego Brawls, Hot Lava, Oceanhorn 2, and Beyond a Steel Sky.