Apple says premium App Store game releases are growing

Apple’s new App Store chief says more premium games were released on the platform in 2026 than in 2025, as the company seeks to broaden its appeal to game developers and players. Carson Oliver, head of App Store Worldwide, said independent developers account for many of the additional releases and that more PC and console franchises are coming to mobile devices. Apple has not provided release counts or sales data to quantify the increase. Oliver described a strategy that supports multiple ways to distribute and sell games, rather than directing developers toward a single model. He cited Balatro as an example: it is available as a paid download and through Apple Arcade, Apple’s subscription service. Vampire Crawlers, one of the titles highlighted during Indie Games Week, launched directly on the App Store rather than joining Arcade. The approach leaves premium purchases and subscriptions operating side by side. Oliver did not announce changes to Apple Arcade’s pricing, subscription structure or content strategy, and Apple has not disclosed updated subscriber or financial figures for the service. The company also has not reported what share of App Store gaming revenue comes from...