Apple Arcade

Background

Apple Arcade is a video game subscription service that's offered by Apple, Inc. It was first announced during a special event on March 25, 2019, and launched on September 19, 2019. The service is available on iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple TV devices running on iOS 13, iPadOS 13, macOS Catalina, and tvOS 13 or later, and it is also available as part of the Apple One subscription bundle.

The video game subscription service features cloud saving via iCloud, Family Sharing support, Game Center integration, support for various game controllers (such as the DualShock 4 and Xbox controllers), and the lack of ads, in-app purchases, always-on DRM, or data tracking. It has a wide selection of games ranging from its "exclusives", such as Fantasian, Oceanhorn 2, LEGO: Builder's Journey, The Pathless, Sneaky Sasquatch, Cut The Rope Remastered, Amazing Bomberman, What The Golf!, and Sayonara Wild Hearts, to its "Plus" versions of games, such as Bloons TD 6+, Fruit Ninja Classic+, Dandara: Trials of Fear+, Leo's Fortune+, Sonic Dash+, Pocket Build+, and Threes!+.

In order to qualify for a game to be an "exclusive" on Apple Arcade, the game must not have a release on Android and it must not appear on other video game subscription services (such as GameClub, Google Play Pass or Xbox Game Pass), even though the game may also be released to other platforms. . On the other hand, the "Plus" versions of the games on Apple Arcade are essentially the games that are already available on the App Store, except that it has no ads/trackers and all of its in-app purchases are unlocked, which distinguishes it from the regular versions of the game with a "+" symbol after the game's title.

Logo (September 19, 2019-)

Visuals: On an orange-salmon background, there is the Apple logo with the word "Arcade" on the center of the screen.

Later Variant: Starting with the release of Marble Knights on September 18, 2020, an animated version of the logo is used. It starts with a black background with the Apple logo zooms towards the center of the screen. As the logo zooms towards the screen, the black background fades in to orange. Then, the letters of the word "Arcade" pushes the Apple logo to the left.

Variants:

Depending on the device that you are using, the logo is rendered either at a 3:2 (all iPad models after the iPad Mini 6), 4:3 (all iPad, Mini, Air, and Pro models before 2021, with the exception of the iPad Pro 11"), 10:7 (iPad Pro 11"), 13:9 (all iPad models after the iPad Air 4), 16:9, 16:10, or 19.5:9 aspect ratio (all iPhone models after the iPhone X).
In the specialised demonstration versions used at Apple Stores, a still version on a black background is displayed

Technique: A combination of 2D animation (for the Apple logo zooming out towards the screen) and 3D animation (the letters of the word "Arcade" pushing the Apple logo to the left) that's animated at 60fps. None for the still variants.

Audio: A two-note synth ditty that sounds similar to the coin sound effect in Super Mario 64. None for the still variants.

Availability:

The still variant was debuted with the launch of Apple Arcade on September 19, 2019, while the last game to use this variant was A Monster's Expedition by Draknek, which was released on the service on September 10, 2020 for iPhone, iPad, macOS, and Apple TV.
The still variant with black background is used in the demonstration versions used at Apple Stores.
The animated variant debuted on Marble Knights on September 18, 2020 for iPhone, iPad, macOS, and Apple TV.