INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Following the well-received launch of Apple Arcade, Google today is officially introducing its own take on subscription-based access to
premium mobile games — or, in Google case, premium mobile apps, too
The new Google Play Pass subscription, arriving this week, will offer more than 350 apps and games that are completely unlocked, with no
upfront fees, in-app purchases or advertisements
And the initial price point is something of a no-brainer — it just $1.99 per month for the first year, Google says.
That price will
increase to $4.99 per month after the first 12 months have passed, which is the same price as Apple Arcade at launch
This launch promotion is only available until October 10, 2019, however.
The two services are similar in concept, as both are providing a
large library of premium content for a monthly subscription
But there are some differences between the two.
For starters, Apple Arcade is filled with exclusives — meaning its games will not be found
The reverse is not true for Google Play Pass
Instead, the Play Pass catalog includes many cross-platform titles, including some that even found their fame first on iOS, like ustwo
Monument Valley.
In addition, Play Pass launch titles aren''t all games
There are also ad-free versions of popular mobile apps, like AccuWeather, Facetune and Pic Stitch, for example.
Notable launch titles
include Stardew Valley, Risk, Terraria, Monument Valley, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Reigns: Game of Thrones, Titan Quest and
Some lesser-known additions include LIMBO, Lichtspeer, Mini Metro and Old Man Journey
Others, like This War of Mine and Cytus, are coming soon
And for little kids, there are some preschooler-friendly titles like Toca Boca classics and the My Town series.
More titles are added on a
monthly basis, Google says.
Because it not relying on exclusives; Google catalog is more than triple the size of Apple at launch
That being said, Apple Arcade library is filled with gorgeous, high-quality games while Play Pass is rounded out with a lot more utilities,
like weather apps and photo editors.
Like Apple Arcade, the new subscription gets its own tab in the Google Play app, where the games are
organized by genre, popularity and other factors — just like a mini app store
However, unlike Apple Arcade, where games are only found in the Arcade tab or through search, Google Play Pass titles will appear directly
They&ll be designated with a Play Pass ticket badge, so you can easily identify them.
The Play Pass subscription also allows the games to be
shared with the whole family
The family manager can share their Play Pass subscription with up to five other family members, who can each access the titles independently
This is comparable to Apple Arcade.
We already knew Google was working on an Apple Arcade competitor before today
The Play Pass subscription existence had been leaked, and Google later confirmed the service with a tweet
What we didn''t yet know was the launch date, lineup or the official pricing.
Google Play Pass service is rolling out this week to Android
devices in the United States , with more countries coming soon
A 10-day subscription is available, before it converts to the $1.99 per month limited promotion, followed by the $4.99 per month price point
when the promotion ends.
While neither Apple nor Google is discussing the terms of their deals with developers, Google says the more people
download a Play Pass title, the more the revenue developers receive on a recurring basis
It also explained that Google itself is funding the initial launch offer, so developers can gain more subscriber interest without impacting
