Bloomberg: Apple's "Netflix for gaming" service will pay developers based on time spent playing each title

We've heard a lot about the Apple News premium subscription, TV service and original TV content, but Apple's interest in a Netflix for games has become less obvious. Now, Bloomberg sheds a light on the question …

The rumor was launched by Cheddar earlier this year, which stated that Apple was talking to game developers about a subscription package, and could even fund the development of original games for its platforms. forms.

Bloomberg corroborates the story and indicates that Apple intends to offer a set of games that are usually titles paid in advance on the App Store, for a monthly fee. Games whose revenue is based on in-app purchases would not be included in the program.

The monthly revenue of the users would be shared between the manufacturers of the games of the bundle, in proportion to the time played in each game.

This echoes the revenue distribution model announced by Apple for its news service, in which Apple retains 50% and the remaining 50% is divided into the rights of magazine and newspaper publishers based on the time spent reading articles. .

The company is apparently in discussion with potential partners, but the report does not say whether agreements have been signed. Bloomberg does not know if the project is advanced enough for Apple to announce the service at Monday's event. This suggests that Apple could wait for WWDC in June instead.

Apple likes to boast the power of its custom silicon and regularly uses games to demonstrate the power of its iPhone and iPad devices. However, paid titles on the App Store are rare and game developers struggle to make enough money to make their investments profitable.

Instead, the App Store is full of freemium experiences in which customers get free app but can choose to buy upgrades, or cosmestics like skins, with a currency in the game that is ultimately purchased with real money. Generally, games are specifically designed to psychologically encourage repeat purchases this way. The 30% reduction in Apple's integrated purchases accounts for a significant portion of the company's service revenues.