Midia Research report: 10% of US consumers use Apple Arcade weekly

In just a few years, Apple Arcade, Apple’s gaming streaming service, has managed to build up a solid foothold, according to Midia Research. 

The research group says 10% of US consumers use Apple Arcade weekly as of its fourth quarter 2023 consumer survey. For context, this nearly matches that of Nintendo Switch Online or Steam (both at 11% in the US) and double Ubisoft+ (5%) or Nvidia’s GeForce Now (4%). Apple also has a number of Arcade originals.

Along the same lines, Midia Research says Netflix’s games downloads are growing. In 2023, Netflix games downloads increased 180% year over year, according to Sensor Tower.

“Games companies should not have ignored Apple Arcade’s and Netflix Games’ reports for the last few years, but we are where we are,” writes Midia Research analyst (and author of the report) Karol Severin. “Not that they could have stopped their entry into the market, but they could have prepared in a proactive way by fostering early partnerships and goodwill (well done to those that have done so!). In the near future, as Apple Arcade and Netflix Games gain strength, many games companies will resort to reactionary measures instead.”

Apple’s US$6.99/month game streaming service that has over 200 games. Apple Arcade is also available as part of the Apple One bundle.