GameClub is a

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

subscription service The subscription business model is a business model in which a customer must pay a recurring price at regular intervals for access to a product or service. The model was pioneered by publishers of books and periodicals in the 17th century, ...

for

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also include ...

and

Android Android may refer to: Science and technology * Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system ** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...

devices. The service primarily offers games that were previously delisted from

app store An App Store (or app marketplace) is a type of digital distribution platform for computer software called applications, often in a mobile context. Apps provide a specific set of functions which, by definition, do not include the running of the co ...

s or are no longer actively maintained by their original developers, updated to support newer devices and software. They have since expanded to releasing mobile ports of games available for PC and console.

History

GameClub was first revealed on March 5, 2019, with an early access program starting shortly after on March 12, 2019. During this period, game betas would be distributed weekly through

TestFlight TestFlight is an online service for over-the-air installation and testing of mobile applications, currently owned by Apple Inc and only offered to developers within the iOS Developer Program.

. GameClub officially launched on October 25, 2019 for iOS users, alongside a standalone GameClub application, which acts as a hub for the catalogue of titles available and provides details about each game. The following week,

Minigore ''Minigore'' is a 2009 survival horror action shooter game for iOS, developed by Mountain Sheep and published by Chillingo. On December 6, 2012, a sequel, ''Minigore 2'', was released on multiple platforms. Minigore was not updated for iOS 11 and ...

was revealed to be the first game available through the service to be updated with MFi controller support. The service launched for Android on June 18, 2020, although with a smaller selection of initial games.

Cross-platform play In video games with online gaming functionality, also called cross-compatible play, cross-platform play, crossplay, or cross-play describes the ability of players using different video game hardware to play with each other simultaneously. It is ...

between Android and iOS was also introduced to the service, starting with title Neon Shadow. On September 5, 2020, GameClub revealed they would soon be releasing mobile ports of PC and console games for the first time, as well as adding expansions to pre-existing titles. Challenges, an

achievement Achievement may refer to: *Achievement (heraldry) *Achievement (horse), a racehorse *Achievement (video gaming), a meta-goal defined outside of a game's parameters See also * Achievement test for student assessment * Achiever, a personality type ...

-like feature, was revealed on October 8, 2020. Six initial games were updated to support the feature on the same day, with more titles to come. A redesigned GameClub app and dashboard were released at the same time, including challenges support and a search function. Leagues were revealed on December 5, 2020. The tiered leaderboard system encourages players to beat other's scores in order to reach higher ranks or to prevent falling into a lower one at the end of a week. An initial eight games were updated to support the feature. On January 5, 2021, the GameClub app was updated to include a profile feature, allowing users to add friends and view player activity. The friends system is planned to be integrated into multiplayer games. In 2022 the company is focusing more on bringing the service on third-world countries via carriers.

Games

As part of the service, all games available are free of

ads" \n\nads.txt (Authorized Digital Sellers) is an initiative from IAB Technology Laboratory. It specifies a text file that companies can host on their web servers, listing the other companies authorized to sell their products or services. This is des ...

and

in-app purchases Microtransactions, often abbreviated as mtx, are a business model where users can purchase virtual goods with micropayments. Microtransactions are often used in free-to-play games to provide a revenue source for the developers. While microtransact ...

and each game released as part of GameClub includes a small 'trial' portion of content available for free without subscribing, often via a 10-minute timer which locks access to the game once the time has run out. Older titles have been updated to modern standards, with optimized graphics and support for newer screen sizes, as well as added support for MFi,

DualShock 4 The DualShock (originally Dual Shock; trademarked as DUALSHOCK or DUAL SHOCK; with the PlayStation 5 version named DualSense) is a line of gamepads with vibration-feedback and analog controls developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the Pla ...

and

Xbox One controller The Xbox Wireless Controller is the primary game controller for the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S home video game consoles, also commercialized for its use in Windows-based PCs, and compatible with other operating systems such as macOS, Li ...

s for select titles. Editorial content, such as game guides and development history, is also available for some games. Family sharing is available for up to twelve people under one subscription and any games that were previously purchased before releasing under GameClub can be accessed in full without a subscription.

Reception

GameClub debuted to mostly positive reviews, with reviewers citing the decisions to focus on bringing back a curated selection of older games and allowing users to keep titles they previously bought as reasons to subscribe. The interface of the GameClub dashboard and hub app and were also praised, with

PCMag ''PC Magazine'' (shortened as ''PCMag'') is an American computer magazine published by Ziff Davis. A print edition was published from 1982 to January 2009. Publication of online editions started in late 1994 and have continued to the present d ...

comparing it to those of Apple. However, concerns were raised about how well the service could perform against larger competitors such as

Apple Arcade Apple Arcade is a video game subscription service offered by Apple Inc. It is available through a dedicated tab of the App Store on devices running iOS 13, tvOS 13, iPadOS 13, and macOS Catalina or later. The service launched on September ...

References

External links

* {{Video game subscription services 2019 in video gaming Subscription video game services IOS software Mobile applications