Is Apple Planning a $19.99 Premium Games Store for the iPhone?
Over the past few days a lot of hearsay and conjecture has been tossed around the ol’ intertubes. Rumor circulating from an article posted on PocketGamer.biz suggests that, in addition to the traditional selections on the App Store, Apple will be featuring a separate Premium Games channel meant to highlight the cream of the crop.
According to PocketGamer’s sources, games on this special channel will retail for $19.99 rather than the traditionally low price point games that currently exist on the App Store. Slide to Play was able to get more details from another unnamed source. The Premium Games Store will only be open for certain developers, and is intended to bring PSP quality games to the iPhone. This means substantially bigger file sizes, and according to their source, “attract prominent franchises that publishers have been reluctant to bring to the platform thus far.”
While it’s easy to appreciate Apple’s need to entice larger publishers to their platform, it’s hard not to worry about the effect this will have on indie developers that have risen to some success courtesy of the iPhone’s App Store. Had their been a Premium Games section at launch, would titles like FieldRunners or Rolando have been able to get the attention they deserve?
This is still classed as a rumor, but it seems to be a pretty solid one considering the number of developers willing to go off record about it. Expect radio silence from Apple on this until their next major press event or, if they decide to go all in and get the word out to gamers, E3.
Yup, there has been quite a lot of buzz (Not really much compared to the “big ones”, but there still has been some buzz.) about this.
I’m looking for a good RPG game if the “Premium Games Store” comes out, one that actually is “long” and playable for days/months of casual playing.
Oh, and more pages of app slots. I ran out already.
No. I don’t want this to happen.