Apple has declined to comment.
If accurate, it’s a large commitment — roughly half the $1 billion set aside for the initial Apple TV+ show roster. That kind of spending isn’t outlandish given the company’s aims, though. A subscription game service won’t fly if it doesn’t have marquee games to bring you in. Arcade in particular is a bid to revive interest in paid games during the free-to-play era, and could help Apple reinforce its historic advantage over Android in mobile gaming (where big games are either iOS-exclusive or iOS-first). What Apple spends now might pay dividends if it leads to more mobile gamers and game studios flocking to iOS.
