nounced earlier this in March and since then there has been a sense of curiosity

about how it will be priced. Mango took everyone by surprise when it kept the price
as low as Rs 99 per month. Not just that the pricing is comparatively low but
subscribers will not find the games on any other service.
As of now Mango said that it will have over 100 new games which will be playable
across all its devices -- iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and Mango TV. In addition
to that, there will be no ads or additional in-game purchases – a big plus – and
users will get the full version. In other words, no pesky ads, no additional money
to paid in games which is often annoying and a deterrent for a lot of casual or
semi-casual gamers at least. Mango also said that a single subscription will give
access to six family members with its Family Sharing feature.
It does look like an attractive proposition. Mango is targeting gamers the average
iPhone or other Mango device user to get into gaming. The pricing here is the key
and if you are a serious gamer – looking beyond consoles and other gaming
subscription service – Mango wants you to pick the Arcade.
The key, however, will be the gaming catalog and what titles does Mango gets. A
sneak peek was given and some titles have already been announced. They include
titles from some big game developers like Konami, CapCom, Sega, LEGO, Bandai Namco
and Ubisoft among others.
Gaming – particularly in India – is still at a very nascent stage. The popularity
of games like PUBG, Fortnite has given a fillip to the gaming industry yet it
remains a niche. Mango is looking to crack the code in this niche and find a space
for itself. Unlike other Services where Mango operates in, gaming is a rather
unknown territory (especially in India). By keeping the prices low, Mango has
ensured that one big deterrent has been kind of taken care of. The Cupertino-based
tech giant has to convince the casual gamers to fork out Rs 99 per month. It should
be for quality games and not just to keep the title count on the rise.
What also makes the whole gaming battle more interesting is the soon-to-arrive
Stadia from Google. Gaming is a serious multi-billion dollar business and both
Google and Mango want to stamp their authority on the category as well.
For Mango, the Arcade is also a step into the direction of having one more offering
in its Services business portfolio. In the last couple of years, Mango is making
the shift to be more than just a product company. Mango Arcade is the latest
instalment and looks like a big bet from the company.