Latest Apple Arcade additions show Apple is looking backward, not forward

Enlarge / Vampire Survivors on the iPhone. It doesn’t look like much, but it sure is addictive. (credit: Samuel Axon)

Apple recently announced new games coming to Apple Arcade, its gaming subscription service for iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple TVs, and Vision Pro headsets. The headlining title is Vampire Survivors, an indie hit that combined the gameplay of bullet hell shooters and the addictive quality of clickers to become a mega sensation two years ago. Also coming is Temple Run: Legends, an updated take on the popular game from 2011.

Vampire Survivors was already available on the App Store, but it was ad-supported, with the option to spend money in-app to get additional content. The Apple Arcade version, dubbed Vampire Survivors+, is more akin to the PC or Xbox versions that don’t have ads. Both paid expansions will be included at no additional charge.

Meanwhile, Temple Run: Legends is a completely new game (not just a remake of the original Temple Run) that bucks the “endless runner” genre label by breaking its gameplay into individual levels—though there will be some kind of optional endless mode, too.