I am hopeful for the subscription model. How games have been sold and marketed is broken and maybe subscription-based models will work better, as they have with Netflix, Spotify, etc.
I'm fine with the subscription methods and I really welcome the AppleArcade program. It might indeed reduce the F2P way and allow a steady income for companies and developers. However for that to work, these subscriptions need to be trusted and offer a steady release of new content (or have a large supply already available at start). I guess Playond is trying to achieve that and from the looks of it, they target premium games. Maybe in the future they will gather most of the premium content of the AppStore and that will be fine. But then players will have to juggle between different subscriptions, independent games and IAP subscriptions. I already think it is difficult to deal with it now but if more platforms like that appear, I am not sure if it will be better than some normal premium independent games. But then, it might also motivate some developers to join these platforms instead of having to rely on F2P mechanics or adds. Only time will tell I guess, but we will be here to witness it
Anyone who watches TV already does that with Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, CBS, HBO, Showtime, etc. It doesn't seem so bad to me. Some people who play only a few games will just have one subscription. Others will have several, but that will mean more publishers getting support and (hopefully) more high-quality games overall.
At the current $1.49AUD/mth for Playond for me it’s a no brainer. Plus I’m just hoping that subscription services might mean the developers get a steady income and with that they are able to continue supporting their games. Mind you I have no idea if the dev gets continuous revenue or if Apple just pays them a one off price. I have lost far too many premium games to iOS updates.
Surely developers are going to get paid primarily based on engagement (how many people play their game, and for how long). Apple has been quiet about the details, though. I'm sure they also gave well-known publishers upfront payments/advances as well. The biggest downside of Apple Arcade is no-Android, of course. I'd be pissed if I could watch Netflix shows on Sony TVs but not on Samsung TVs.
