If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Big Fish Games pioneers iPad subs service

Apple gives clearance for $6.99 a month iPad 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.

Related topics
Author
Matthew Handrahan avatar

Matthew Handrahan

Editor-in-Chief

Matthew Handrahan joined GamesIndustry in 2011, bringing long-form feature-writing experience to the team as well as a deep understanding of the video game development business. He previously spent more than five years at award-winning magazine gamesTM.