• Bloomberg, Wednesday, November 23, 2011 11:52 AM

In a first-of-its-kind deal, Apple and Big Fish Games have entered into a partnership by which the game publisher will offer its titles by subscription over the iPad. Per the deal, Seattle-based Big Fish becomes the first game publisher ever to offer iPad owners access to dozens of titles for $6.99 a month.

“Until now, games have only been available one at a time, requiring users to download individual applications,” Bloomberg writes. But, “When Apple introduced its subscription feature earlier this year, Paul Thelen, the founder of Big Fish, saw it as an opportunity to offer an ‘all-you-can-eat’ service.” As such, players can now jump in and out of different games without having to download each one. As Bloomberg notes, game-subscription services have had mixed results, but Thelen insists that the popularity of the iPad -- along with the easy payment system offered by Apple’s App Store -- guarantees the offering’s success.

“This is the first time that the technology has matched the business model,” he tells Bloomberg. In addition to the subscription plan, Big Fish also will offer a free version of its game service that limits play to 30 minutes a day and includes advertising.

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