Summary
Shortly after the success ofSonic Frontiers, two months after the post-launch content finally wrapped up with the Final Horizon DLC,Sonic Dream Teamhas arrived on Apple Arcade. For those with an iPhone, iPad, MacBook, iMac, or Apple TV, this means they have a brand-newSonicgame to play at the cost of the service’s monthly subscription fee that offers platformingmechanics similar toSonic AdventureandSonic Unleashed.
When the game was announced, many fans adored how the game looked, but they eventually had to face a rather crucial catch.Sonic Dream Teamwas produced by Apple, and through that, it is currently exclusive to the conglomerate’s subscription service. This has upset many players who don’t own Apple products, but one key trend with prominent Apple Arcade games may mean thatSonic Dream Teamwon’t be exclusive forever.
Sonic Dream Team May Only Be A Timed Exclusive
Many Apple Arcade Games Have Jumped to Console and PC
As a subscription service, the most important thing for Apple is to produce or add enough games to Apple Arcade that players look at it and decide that it’s worth the monthly fee. For this reason, getting exclusives for the service is almost critical, which has led the company to sign many deals with various companies over the years. Other impressive games such asThe Pinball WizardandVarious Daylifewere once only available on Apple Arcade, but were moved to other platforms two to three years later.
Roughly 15 Apple Arcade exclusives have moved to console and PC after their exclusivity ended, but there seems to be one permanent clause in the arrangement between developers and Apple. When it comes to Apple’s competition with its Arcade service, it appears the company is more focused on dominating mobile gaming as no previous Apple Arcade exclusives have managed to make it onto Android devices. While this may seem sad for those whouse the Google Play Store, this meansSonic Dream Teamcould reach other platforms in a few years.
The Uncertain Situation With Apple Arcade and Sonic Dream Team
There may be a trend of Apple Arcade games reaching consoles and PC eventually, but sadly, it isn’t easy to say for sure if this will happen toSonic Dream Teamspecifically. While there may be several titles that have moved to other platforms with ease,other Apple Arcade gameshave been removed from the service without being ported elsewhere, effectively making them lost media. What makes this situation tricky when it comes toSonic Dream Teamis that one of Sega’s own Apple Arcade titles,ChuChu Rocket Universe, is one of these lost games.
With this in mind, three situations could happen toSonic Dream Team:
Sonic Dream Team’s situation is especially hard to predict due to the important fact that it isn’t just any game, but aSonicgame.Apple most likely went out of its wayto help fundDream Teambecause Sonic is a prominent icon in gaming that will easily bring users to its service, so keeping the game around will be a great asset in the long run. Sega is also likely aware of how many potential players would like other ways to playSonic Dream Team, which means they likely won’t turn down the chance to sell the game for more direct profits.
Beyond the fact that an Apple device is required to playDream Teamcurrently, players don’t have to worry about theSonicgame going anywhere for the foreseeable future, as it will remain safely Apple Arcade exclusive for at least three years.
