There’s a bit of myth that’s trotted out every now and then suggesting that gaming hasn’t really taken off in the App Store in the way some people hoped.
A look at the top 10 downloaded iPhone apps worldwide for the month of April tells a different story, however. It shows that seven of the top 10 iPhone apps were games. Altogether, these were downloaded a massive 74 million times in April alone.
As can be seen from the above chart from Statista, these games included Clean Road, Run Race 3D, AMAZE!!!, Roller Splat!, Stack Ball 3D, Mr Bullet – Spy Puzzles, and Tiles Hop – EDM Rush. The only non-gaming apps that made it into the global top downloads were Facebook, Facebook’s Messenger app and WhatsApp.
Good news for Apple Arcade
This is good news for game developers in the App Store. It’s perhaps even more promising for the future of Apple Arcade, however. Announced at Apple’s “Show Time” event in March, Apple Arcade is an all-you-can-eat subscription service for exclusive mobile games. At launch, it will boast more than 100 new and exclusive titles. These will include games from Lego, Sega, ustwo games, Snowman and many more.
Since Cupertino remains mum about Apple Arcade pricing, it’s difficult to gauge how many people will be interested in the service. However, analysts from HSBC recently predicted that Apple Arcade will rake in more cash than Apple TV+, Apple’s upcoming streaming video service. They predict Apple Arcade revenue will total $370 million in 2020, and will expand to $4.5 billion by 2024. That likely would require 29 million subscribers.
As indicated by last month’s downloads, things could certainly turn out that way. While all April’s top 10 titles are free downloads, the list nonetheless highlights the massive audience for games among iPhone owners. Hopefully, Apple can deliver its gaming service at a price point that pulls in as many gamers as possible.
How much would you pay for Apple Arcade every month? What would you expect for your cash? Let us know your thoughts below.
Source: Statista
Via: Patently Apple
