While most of Silicon Valley drools over Apple’s new gadgets, another tech giant is trying to make waves this week. The day before Apple’s special event today (Sept. 10), Google coyly shared an update on Twitter.
In an understated post, Google confirmed it was launching its own subscription service, Google Play Pass, an ad-free Android offering that includes games and other apps. It seems the pass will not require additional in-app purchases. XDA Developers first reported on rumors of Google Play Pass last year.
Like Apple Arcade, it appears Google Play Pass will cost $4.99 per month. (At least, that’s how much Google charged for the service during beta testing in July.) Although Google hasn’t verified pricing or even revealed a launch date, the company’s tweet included a new logo which shares a color scheme with Google Play, the official Android app store. It’s not clear how different Google’s subscription service will be from Apple’s offering, which features over 100 games from both prominent and indie games developers, many developed exclusively for Apple Arcade. Apple’s new service launches Sept. 19.
Google did not respond immediately to a request for comment.