Hot on the heels of the Apple Arcade service, the Google Play Pass is now available for Android users. Similar in theme, the Play Pass looks to surpass Apple’s offering with access to 350 apps that are free of ads and in-app purchases. The number dwarfs the initial offering by Apple of 100 games, although it appears that the Play Pass may have a bunch of duplicate games on their service in order to bolster its numbers.
The largest culprits reside within the genre of card games, as shown by Reddit user u/combatwards. This is to be expected, as there is no copyright on such classics as Solitaire, Hearts, Canasta, and others. Most of these games are mechanically identical and differ only in art style. Past that one genre however, the Play Pass reveals hundreds of unique apps that make the initial offering impressive.
Mobile games are the first point to mention, since that is what Apple Arcade focuses on entirely and is useful for comparison. The initial lineup of games looks staggeringly great. Here are some of the most impressive titles that are well made and absolutely worth a play through:
- LIMBO
- Sorcery! 1, 2, 3, and 4
- Stardew Valley
- Terraria
- Star Wars™: KOTOR
- Monument Valley 1, 2
- ELOH
- Bridge Constructor Portal
- Reigns
- Reigns: Her Majesty
- Reigns: Game of Thrones
- Risk
- Old Man’s Journey
- 80 Days
- Lumino City
- Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy
- Titan Quest
- Absolute Drift
These are but a few of the titles that stand out, and on their own would take a considerable time investment to complete. Some games like Stardew Valley and Titan Quest can provide months of entertainment on their own, and other classics like Star Wars: KOTOR are lengthy fan favorites.
In addition to games, the Play Pass looks to outdo the Apple Arcade by also including access to several other apps and can be viewed here at Android Authority.
Ignoring the titles within the card playing genre, the Play Pass appears to have a strong start and is an outstanding option for consumers to look into. Developers on the other hand may have reason to remain cautious about the service, or more importantly, the royalty payment model that Google is using to pay for access to these games.
As we discussed here at TheGamer, the current model has been compared to that used by Spotify, which rewards the total amount of time a user spends listening to a track, rather than by its length or unique users in each month. It may be too early to tell, but revenue sharing may be a sticking point that sees some developers remove their app from the Play Pass in the future or encourage the creation of apps that are more focused on replayability.
Source: Androidauthority.com