INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Apple Arcade introduced the idea of all-you-can-eat subscription-based mobile gaming to the mainstream
Google Play Pass soon followed as a way to subscribe to a sizable collection of both apps and games on Android devices
Today, a startup called GameClub is launching in the U.S
For $4.99 per month, mobile consumers will be able to access a library that includes some of the best games to have ever hit the App
Store.To be clear, GameClub is not a cloud gaming platform, like Google Stadia
titles, with around half that available for play today
More titles will roll out on a weekly basis in the months ahead
Champ, Mage Gauntlet, Space Miner, Forget-Me-Not, MiniSquadron, Plunderland, Pocket RPG, Sword of Fargoal, Incoboto, Tales of the Adventure
Company, Hook Worlds, Orc: Vengeance, Mr
Particle-Man, Legendary Wars, Deathbat, The Path to Luma, Grimm, Zombie Match, Faif, iBlast Moki 2, Kano, Baby Lava Bounce, Run Roo Run,
Role Playing, Simulation, Strategy and more.To use the service, you first download the main GameClub app, which becomes the hub for your
You then sign up for the $4.99 per month subscription, which includes a 30-day free trial
Within the main app, you can browse the available titles as well as read editorial content like in-depth overviews and histories, get tips
and learn about gaming strategies.The startup was founded last year by game industry vets Dan Sherman and Oliver Pedersen.Sherman, GameClub
CEO, has worked in the gaming industry for around 17 years, including time spent at EA and his own startup, Tilting Point
His experience has involved, predominantly, signing content partnerships with game creators
Pedersen, meanwhile, built backend systems and platforms for games, including at Yahoo Games.Though GameClub is seemingly arriving after
The startup was founded in 2018, ahead of any Apple Arcade rumors
It went live on iOS outside the U.S
before Arcade launched.The founders say they were inspired to address the issues caused by the free-to-play model that has infiltrated the
seeing all these amazing game developers leave mobile because the types of games they make are not the types of games that monetize through
free-to-play, games are built around perpetual retention loops
could make money, it led to homogeneity in the marketplace, he says.GameClub aims to offer a subscription to the premium games that got left
behind.They are meant to be wholesome and fun, not overly addictive
You simply pay your subscription fee every month to access the catalog, then play unencumbered.Thanks to Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass,
consumers are now comfortable with the idea of the subscription model for mobile games
important the game is to the GameClub service, the more money the creator makes
there could be concerns that GameClub exists in a gray area, with regard to App Store policy
Those with longer memories may recall that Apple banned app-stores-within-a-store starting back in 2012
The company had kicked out apps that recommended other apps like AppHero, FreeAppADay, Daily App Dream, AppShopper and more
It also banned the more popular app recommendation service AppGratis the following year
GameClub, on the other hand, plays fairly
GameClub wants to produce its own original content and offer its service across platforms, starting with Google Play, but eventually
tackling PC and console gaming.The startup is headquartered in New York City, with offices in Copenhagen
In addition to the founders, it includes Eli Hodapp, the former editor-in-chief of the popular game news and review site TouchArcade, and
COO Britt Myers, the former chief product officer of subscription-based edtech apps platform Homer.With the close of a seed round last week,
GameClub is backed by $4.6 million in funding.Investors from a round that closed last year include GC VR Gaming Tracker Fund, CRCM Ventures,
Watertower Ventures, Ride Ventures, BreakawayGrowth Fund and others
New investors include GFR Fund, Gramercy Fund, CentreGold Capital, and AET Fund.GameClub is available on the App Store.
