Subscription access to mobile game content powers new services like Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass. Last fall, a startup called GameClub also entered the mix to test the idea that subscriptions could also generate new sources of revenue for some of the biggest successes in mobile gaming. At launch, GameClub's $ 5 per month subscription service was only available on iOS, providing access to more than 100 titles that have been collectively downloaded 100 million times. Today, the service is available to Android users with a catalog that now includes more than 120 classic titles.
The service came at a time when the game industry had largely switched to the free-to-play model and users became less willing to pay for content in advance - essentially forcing many other genres of games from stores of applications. The selection of games from GameClub does not correspond to this new climate, because they were not one to monetize users via purchases and advertisements integrated into the application.
As GameClub co-founder and CEO Dan Sherman explained at the time of its launch, the free-to-play model only works for a handful of genres excluding many genres that its service is trying to bring back - like action, adventures, arcade, tower defense and more. Basically, GameClub offers games that can be supplemented, instead of games built around perpetual retention loops.
As with Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass, GameClub users pay subscription fees to access the entire library. With a single subscription, up to 12 people can play GameClub games on iOS and, since today's launch, Android. The games will work both online and offline and will not include any in-app purchases or ads.
On iOS, the catalog has grown to 87 games in total. On Android, there are 40 of them at launch, but the company publishes more titles in order to reach parity with iOS. A new game is added every week.
"Subscription is a healthier and less expensive way to enjoy games, by eliminating the oppressive ads and loot boxes that define what is called free-to-play," said Sherman, in a statement on launch. "GameClub is the only service that brings these benefits to the world of iOS and Android players. We are expanding our offering to provide affordable, skill-based entertainment to gamers around the world, on almost any cell phone or tablet, "he added.
The service catalog continues to be managed by Eli Hodapp, the former editor-in-chief of the TouchArcade mobile game site. His main titles include Breach & Clear, Paint it Back, Spider: Rite of the Shrouded Moon, Legendary Wars, Monster Wars, Flick Fishing, Pocket RPG, Cursed Treasure 2 and others.
These titles are not simply redistributed by GameClub after entering into agreements. Instead, the GameClub developer team also updates the original application code to give the games a new look and feel - for example, optimizing them for the latest screen sizes and resolutions.
Although Apple prohibits iOS apps that sell other apps, GameClub has been allowed to run on iOS because the GameClub hub is not its own app store. Instead, iOS users should download individual GameClub games directly from the App Store, where they have their own list.
Getting Apple's approval, however, was not easy. The company says its app has been rejected by Apple 127 times before launch and its developer account has been under investigation for a month, during which time Apple has stopped reviewing any of its submissions.
Ultimately, this investigation ended without any explanation, said Sherman. He notes that the GameClub review process became easier once Apple Arcade debuted, but also said that GameClub was never featured on the App Store, perhaps due to its competitive nature. with Apple Arcade.
The company refused to share its total subscriber base or revenues.
"We're not disclosing these numbers, but I can share that we've seen double-digit month-to-month growth in all aspects of GameClub since our iOS launch last fall," Sherman told ClearTipsNews . "A large segment of the mobile gaming community is looking for real premium gaming experiences, and GameClub provides the game style they are looking for, with no intrusive ads, in-app predatory shopping and all the other abuse that have become synonymous with modern mobile gaming, "he said.
With the extension to Android, the GameClub library now offers more than a dozen successful games not yet offered on its platform and several to come for Android for the first time, such as Flick Fishing, Puzzlejuice, Swap This!, Zombie Match Defense, ORC: Vengeance, Hackycat, Raid Leader, Wizard Golf RPG, Cubed Rally Racer, Return of the Zombie King and Potatoman Seeks the Troof. A full launching slate is here.
The Android GameClub app is live on Google Play, in addition to iOS.
