Apple is rumored to be working on a games subscription service

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  Old Man's Journey, a popular premium mobile game on the iPhone. [credit: Samuel Axon ]

Apple's push to focus more on software services may extend to games, according to a report by Cheddar. The report cites five people familiar with the matter who claim that Apple has been talking to game developers about bringing games into a subscription bundle, and it cites two people who say Apple is also exploring the possibility of launching a game-publishing arm.

The sources said that Apple was talking with developers about its plans in the second half of 2018. No details were provided about the nature of the service or what kinds of games would be included. It's difficult to imagine an elegant way of including free-to-play games, which make money through in-app-purchases for game-related services and add-on content, in a paid subscription package.

But while games with that model are prominent on Apple's iOS App Store, there are still several popular and critically acclaimed games with an up-front cost model—Alto's Odyssey, Civilization VI, Galaxy of Pen and Paper, Stardew Valley, Baldur's Gate, Cat Quest, Alien: Blackout, Battleheart 2, and Old Man's Journey, to name just a few.

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