App Store games so far have all been sold on a one-off basis, with many of them being quite cheap or even free. Could a subscription model work on iOS though We may soon find out, as Apple has allowed, for the first time, a game publisher to charge a subscription.
Big Fish Games has been approved to offer a monthly subscription of $6.99 to access its titles. The subscription model also means that players will be able to quickly switch from game to game without needing several downloads. “This is the first time that the technology has matched the business model,”said Big Fish Games founder Paul Thelen. “It took longer than usual to be approved. [Apple] needed to be convinced there’s a reason to charge customers every month.”
Interestingly, the experimentation with business models doesn’t stop there, as Big Fish will also be offering a free version of its service that only allows 30 minutes of playtime with ads.
Source: Bloomberg
