Alongside a few other notable indies
Apple Arcade continues to truck on, as Apple can likely prop it up through thick and thin, no matter how lean the offerings might be at any given time. The powerhouse publisher has a lot to celebrate come July though, as Apple has confirmed that Stardew Valley will be hitting the service on July 21.
It’s the main event (as far as I’m concerned), and I can’t stop booting it up year-after-year, whether it’s for a quick solo adventure or a multiplayer family outing.
Other games coming to Apple Arcade in July 2023, including one surprise
Beyond Stardew Valley, the Apple Arcade service is getting a few more additions:
- Hello Kitty Island Adventure
- Slay the Spire
- LEGO Duplo World
- Ridiculous Fishing EX
So the last one might stick out a bit, given that Vlambeer, the studio behind the viral arcade fishing hit, closed in 2020.
Speaking to Polygon, co-founder Rami Ismail shed some light on the situation, noting:
“Vlambeer remains closed, The both of us did collaborate on this, so we decided to keep it under the brand of Vlambeer, but we don’t expect more collaborations like this. The two of us, Zach Gage, and Greg Wohlwend just couldn’t resist the opportunity of revisiting the game that catapulted our careers — and having an opportunity to approach the game anew without the catch of the clones, and with 10 years of development experience. The team immediately realized that to do a proper take on the game for the modern day, we also wanted to bring aboard the creative powerhouses at KO_OP for their signature style of playfulness, to bring the game to life.”
It’s great to see that the original creators were involved in this, rather than the classic tale of a rights-holding publisher forcing the IP to rise from the dead.
