We have posted a ton about GameClub ever since they publicly unveiled their plans back in March to resurrect lost mobile classics of the past decade and re-release them to the mobile gaming world of today. They’ve been running a completely free and completely open Early Access beta program since that time, and have been diligently releasing a new title to the program each and every Monday, and more recently they’ve been releasing a second new game on Fridays. Up to and including today’s game, which is the awesome 2D aerial combat game MiniSquadron which was a major TouchArcade fan favorite back in the day, the GameClub Early Access program now has a whopping 35 games. All have been updated to support modern device screens, and all are devoid of any ads or in-app purchases. As GameClub announced back in May, they’re hoping to be able to support these endeavors with a subscription service similar to Apple’s forthcoming Apple Arcade. They’ve released a new trailer showcasing what the GameClub service will be all about, and it’s catchy as all heck, check it out.
As previously announced, GameClub will launch at some point this fall and will feature at least 50 games on launch with a new game arriving every week, similar to how the Early Access program works now. I love this tactic as it’s been a total blast being surprised by each week’s new releases, which adds to the fun of being part of the GameClub club. Also something very unique about the GameClub service is that every game on it will be playable offline and whenever possible anybody who previously owned a game that’s part of GameClub will be able to download the updated version for free and play it even without being a GameClub subscriber. The hope is that the owners of those particular games will appreciate what GameClub is doing and will look more into their other services and games, and perhaps jump on board with a subscription. There are more than 100 games confirmed for GameClub so far and their aim is to be releasing new and original premium games in addition to resurrected classics at some point down the line.
Between today’s new trailer, its accompanying press release, and the GameClub press page, a bunch of new previously unannounced titles have been outed as being part of the service. The major fan favorite Minigore will be making a comeback, as will Chillingo’s old dungeon crawler Orc: Vengeance, Freeverse’s Warpack Grunts, the Avenged Sevenfold game Hail to the King: Deathbat, the old Armor Games tower defense title Cursed Treasure, and Gun Media’s squad-based strategy game Breach & Clear. Also, the entire Tiger Style library will be part of GameClub, which includes our 2009 Game of the Year Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor, its sequel Spider: Rite of the Shrouded Moon, and our 2012 Game of the Year Waking Mars. Pretty stoked about all those!
While pricing has yet to be announced, GameClub is looking to be extremely competitive with Apple Arcade, which all signs are pointing to being $5 per month. If that’s indeed the case, you can expect GameClub to be no more than its closest competitor, and in all likelihood I could see them wanting to actually undercut Apple’s pricing. That means that for likely less than $10 a month mobile gamers will have access to hundreds of premium mobile games all with no ads or in-app purchases. And in the case of GameClub it is actually cross-platform with Android, so if you’re one of those who uses a combination of Apple and Android devices, this is an even sweeter deal for you. I know a lot of people are hesitant about the gaming subscription thing that’s gained so much popularity in recent years, but I for one am very optimistic about it, and with today’s GameClub news I’m looking even more forward to Apple’s big keynote event tomorrow and hopefully even more information on Apple Arcade. In the meantime, if you haven’t already, sign up for the GameClub Early Access program and whether you’re planning on subscribing or not you can at least play the 35 Early Access games entirely for free right this minute.
