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Apple Arcade’s biggest update yet is here and it’s exciting in terms of both what it offers and the latest changes. could deliver in the future.
First, the news. On Friday, Apple’s subscription service Arcade, which gives iOS users unrestricted access to a library of games for $ 5 per month, added more than 30 games, including highlights like Fantasy (from the creator of the Final Fantasy series) and a new twist on The Oregon Trail.
Although, that was not all. In a twist, Apple also introduced two new sections for the Arcade catalog, one for “Timeless Classics” and the other for “App Store Greats.” These two cubes bring an additional layer to Arcade, which was launched on the grounds that subscribers would have access to games that couldn’t be played on any other mobile platform.
However, the expansion creates the space for Apple to add older titles to the mix as well. It’s off to a promising start too, with the two new categories together offering popular games like Three!, Mini Metro, Really bad chess, and Spell tower. But I also see here a missed opportunity; or better, a budding opportunity.
In 2017, Apple removed support for 32-bit iOS applications with the release of iOS 11. In a single update, thousands upon thousands of applications suddenly became unsupported. Even with a lot of wait time given to app developers and the public alike so that everyone could prepare, not all apps made the leap.
That included a host of games, many of which would fit comfortably under Apple’s “App Store Greats” umbrella. Personally, I still stick with a pre-iOS 11 iPhone because my beloved Infocom collection, Infocom’s Lost Treasures, you did not receive a 64-bit update from the IP Activision owner. About every year I get on Twitter and reach out to Activision’s PR team to throw a tantrum about effectively erasing an important part of the game’s history.
But I digress. The point is, there are some really forgotten gems in Apple’s defunct 32-bit game library, games that a lot of people have fond memories of playing. We’ve seen some relaunched over time, but they don’t come close to all. The GameClub subscription service exists primarily to give people a way to play at least some of the lost games.
So what’s stopping Apple from dedicating some of its resources to reviving the lost gems of the pre-2017 App Store? As much as Apple before Arcade kept video games at a distance, we are still talking about the first great gaming platform on mobile. The first iPhone not only popularized smartphones; it was also a hit for video games.
I’m talking about fundamental classics like Edge and Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor. OR Shadowgun. Space Invaders Infinity Gene. Classic peggle. Anyone with a pre-iOS 11 Apple device probably has at least one or two favorites that no longer exist.
I know game development is not an easy process, and upgrading any of these (or others) to 64-bit support can be more expensive (or challenging for other reasons) than it’s worth. But Apple’s latest Arcade update opened the door to a large part of gaming history that was so quickly forgotten. We hope the company sees the opportunity and does something about it.
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