Apple might reveal its game subscription service at Monday�s event

Apple is expected to announce new services in TV, news, and finance (with a rumored credit card linked to Goldman Sachs) at its March 25th event. But there�s a chance we might also get a look at the company�s iOS game subscription service come Monday, as well. Bloomberg is reporting that Apple is �discussing� the gaming service with potential partners.

Back in late January, Cheddar first reported about the service, which would let users play a bundle of games in exchange for a monthly fee. If the news subscription service is being referred to as the �Netflix for news or magazines,� then this would be a similar concept focused on gaming.

For the game bundle subscription, Bloomberg notes that Apple is �likely considering� paid games only. Any titles that depend on a freemium model � free-to-play but with in-app purchases � won�t be part of the deal. That would result in hits like Fortnite and PUBG Mobile being left out, but Minecraft, Stardew Valley, Heads Up!, Monument Valley 1 and 2, and NBA 2K19 are all the kind of paid games that could be eligible.

Customers would be charged monthly to access a bundle of those premium games, and game developers would be paid based on how frequently members of the service play their title. �The company would collect these monthly fees, then divide up the revenue between developers based on how much time users spend playing their games,� Bloomberg�s Mark Gurman said.

Apple could reveal its game subscription service at Monday�s event � or the company might instead choose to hold off until its WWDC keynote. It probably makes more sense to announce such a move in front of game makers attending the conference. Apple�s games service will focus exclusively on iOS and won�t be a cloud-based streaming effort like those from Microsoft, Sony, and most recently Google, which announced its new Stadia platform earlier this week.