Apple to unveil 'Netflix for games' to take on Google Stadia

By paying a monthly subscription fee, customers would have access to a bundled list of titles to play on their iPhones and iPads

A customer plays with a video game on an iPad during the inauguration of a new Apple store in Strasbourg, France (AFP)

Many rumours have been circulating for Apple's 'Show Time' event on 25 March, chief among them a new TV service and a premium news subscription.

But a new report now suggests there may also be a gaming subscription service, allowing people to pay one flat fee and get access to a variety of games on their iPhones and iPads.

The service could rival Google's recently announced Stadia platform as well as being part of Apple's broader plan to make more money from streaming service subscriptions.

The service was first rumoured in January by Cheddar, who described it as a "Netflix for games".

These rumours appear to have been confirmed by Bloomberg, who claims Apple is in discussions with potential partners for a premium games subscription service for its App Store.

Customers will be able to play premium games on their iPhones and iPads, with the revenue generated split between the games' developers based on how much time is spent playing the games.

By paying a monthly subscription fee, customers would have access to a bundled list of titles. It is unlikely that so-called freemium games, which rely on in-app purchases, will be supported by the new service.

This would mean games like Fortnite and Apex Legends would not be available, but the likes of Minecraft and Fifa 2019 will be.

If the new gaming service is announced on Monday at Apple's California headquarters, it will come one week after Google announced its Stadia streaming platform.

Stadia allows gamers to play games from any device, ranging from smartphones to PCs, by hosting the power needed to run the games in the cloud.

Both tech giants will be hoping to take a slice of the huge revenues on offer from the gaming industry, which is expected to be worth $174 billion by 2021.

Apple may still decide to hold off on the announcement of the gaming service until its WWDC event later this year, where there will likely be a far higher concentration of game developers in the audience.