App Store to Get a ‘Premium Games’ Section, with $19.99 Titles?
Today is shaping up as a strong day for iPhone rumors. Amidst lots of talk about the next generation iPhone, there is also room for a good one on a possible new ‘Premium Games’ section of the App Store.
According to Pocketgamer.biz:
… Apple is planning on introducing a dedicated section in the iTunes App Store for premium games priced at $19.99.
However, the initiative will only be open to a restricted number of large publishers, rather than the thousands of smaller developers currently selling their titles on the main App Store.
The move may help Apple combat the natural trend towards low priced Apps, and would also indicate that Apple may be listening to long-running developer complaints that the Top 100 lists tend to reward cheaper but higher volume apps.
I don’t mind the idea of a separate section for higher-priced games. In fact, I quite like the idea of a few more sections to make the App Store better organized – for instance, a ‘novelty’ section as we’ve touted before to give the ‘less than useful’ or duplicate (single serving) apps a happier place to live.
I wonder how many games would survive or thrive at $19.99 or above though. They’d have to have an awful lot to offer just now to compete with much lower priced options I would think.
Which games would you stump up twenty bucks for if they got ported to the iPhone?
Source: Pocketgamer.biz, via Macrumors
im afraid tiger woods golf will end up in that section
the ONLY game im looking forward to. ugh.
oh well, i guess GL Golf will keep me occupied
$20? That’s a lot of money for a phone game — and honestly, I think the iPhone could use a massive RAM upgrade before I even think about forking up for a quality $20 game. I really don’t like the idea of having to reboot my phone just to play games, but it’s a reality on my 1st gen iPhone with a lot of stuff.
I also think the games should stick at around $10. I don’t think the iPHone has enough control elements to expand more into the high quality gaming area — at least not for a large library. RPG’s, racing games, strategy games — but I don’t see myself playing an FPS on device with no buttons.
I play PC, DS/PSP games in my spare time and I’d really like the iPhone to have its own gaming circuit — I don’t really like ports all that much.
nate – yeah, unfortunately the Tiger game does sound like it’d be one for that section, and it’s from EA I think, who are one of the companies being mentioned as likely candidates for the rumored new premium area.
Rags – I’m not much of a gamer at all, so I appreciate hearing your views – they make a lot of sense to me too