Highlights
- Sonic Dream Team is currently exclusive to Apple Arcade, which has upset non-Apple device owners.
- There is a trend of Apple Arcade games eventually being released on other platforms, suggesting that Sonic Dream Team may not be exclusive forever.
- The future of Sonic Dream Team's availability is uncertain, as it could be ported to consoles or PC, remain on Apple Arcade, or be removed from the service altogether.
Shortly after the success of Sonic Frontiers, two months after the post-launch content finally wrapped up with the Final Horizon DLC, Sonic Dream Team has arrived on Apple Arcade. For those with an iPhone, iPad, MacBook, iMac, or Apple TV, this means they have a brand-new Sonic game to play at the cost of the service's monthly subscription fee that offers platforming mechanics similar to Sonic Adventure and Sonic 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 Team was 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 that Sonic Dream Team won't be exclusive forever.
Sonic Frontiers Director Views the Game's Mods as a 'Rival'
The director of Sonic Frontiers comments on the game's active modding scene, stating that he views them as a friendly 'rival' to surpass.
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 as The Pinball Wizard and Various Daylife were 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 who use the Google Play Store, this means Sonic Dream Team could 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 to Sonic Dream Team specifically. While there may be several titles that have moved to other platforms with ease, other Apple Arcade games have been removed from the service without being ported elsewhere, effectively making them lost media. What makes this situation tricky when it comes to Sonic Dream Team is 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 to Sonic Dream Team:
- Sonic Dream Team's exclusivity ends and the game is ported to consoles or at the very least PC. It could either remain on Apple Arcade for Mac users if Apple extends its contract with Sega or leave the service altogether.
- Once Apple's three-year contract with Sega ends, Sonic Dream Team's contract is renewed, and the game remains on the Arcade subscription service.
- If Apple chooses not to renew this contract, and Sega decides not to port the game to other platforms, Dream Team will be removed from the service and be effectively unplayable after the fact.
Sonic Dream Team's situation is especially hard to predict due to the important fact that it isn't just any game, but a Sonic game. Apple most likely went out of its way to help fund Dream Team because 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 play Sonic 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 play Dream Team currently, players don't have to worry about the Sonic game going anywhere for the foreseeable future, as it will remain safely Apple Arcade exclusive for at least three years.
Sonic Dream Team is available on Apple Arcade.
