Big Fish Games pioneers iPad subs service

Big Fish Games is the first developer to win permission from Apple to offer a subscription service for its products, Bloomberg reports.

The Seattle-based developer will ultimately charge $6.99 a month for the ability to stream "dozens" of games through its official app. The service is for iPad only, and will initially require wi-fi to play.

There will also be a promotional period where a subscription costs $4.99, and an ad-funded free version that lets users play for 30 minutes a day.

"It took longer than usual to be approved," said Big Fish founder Paul Thelen. "They needed to be convinced there's a reason to charge customers every month."

Big Fish Games was founded in 2002, and last year booked $140 million in revenue. Thelen estimates that around 75 per cent of its players are women over the age of 30.

The company recently appointed former Amazon.com exec Dave Stephenson to the position of chief financial officer.