Apple has been encouraging Apple employees to beta test Apple Arcade ahead of launch.
As seen in leaked screenshots shared with 9to5Mac, Apple employees are currently able to sign up for Apple Arcade for just $0.49 per month, with a one month’s free trial to boot.
This could suggest Apple is planning to launch the service for $4.99 per month rather than the rumored $9.99 per month, though we won’t know for sure until closer to release.
Apple Arcade is Apple’s new gaming subscription service, offering cross-platform gaming on the Mac, iOS, and Apple TV.
The leaked screenshots from 9to5Mac show off the experience on the Mac App Store, with a new Arcade tab featured in the App Store to highlight games.
Apple has already announced a number of titles for the new service, although the latest leaked screenshots show off some new titles that have yet to be revealed publicly including War of the Turtle, when users can play as turtles lost on an island in the middle of nowhere and collect shells to defeat enemies, as well as Down in Bermuda where an adventurous aviator voyages across the Atlantic on a journey of a lifetime, leaving his family at home.
There’s also Hot Lava, a game that “transports you back to your childhood imagination” and allows you to relieve “those moments of excitement, joy and chaos” in “nostalgia-packed environments flooded with hot molten lava”.
According to a source from 9to5Mac, the games are currently still in development, suggesting it will be a to-the-wire launch with titles only coming out of beta when they’re released to the general public.
Other titles currently available for testing include “Sneaky Sasquatch”, “Kings of the Castle”, “Frogger in Toy Town” and “Lame Game 2.”
Apple has promised that there will be around 100 exclusive games at launch, and all will be ad-free and come without in-app purchases.
The new service, which is yet to be priced, also allows up to six members of the family to access games across multiple devices.
Although we don’t know for sure when the service will launch, the current beta testing ends when iOS 13 launches in September, so Apple Arcade could drop alongside the new iOS.
We’ll likely know for certain when Apple shares details at this year’s September Special Event, which is due to kick off on September 10 according to a leaked iOS 13 beta file.
Are you excited for Apple Arcade? Do you think the new service will flop? Let us know on Twitter and check back soon for more news on Apple’s subscription services every week.
