Apple Arcade has just unveiled two significant new offerings for its subscribers: NFL Retro Bowl ’26 and Jeopardy! Daily. In conjunction with their debut, an interview with Apple Arcade’s senior director sheds light on the increasing trend of IP-centric games launching.
## NFL Retro Bowl ’26 and Jeopardy! Daily are now live, part of a recent influx of IP-driven titles
Apple Arcade has established a pattern of releasing fresh titles monthly, typically on the same day. For September, today marks that launch day.
Among the newly released titles, two stand out prominently:
*NFL Retro Bowl ’26* features a fresh Retro Bowl Championship Leaderboard that enables players to engage in matches corresponding with the 2025 NFL season games.
*Jeopardy! Daily* is a daily puzzle experience filled with unique clues crafted by the beloved show’s writing team.
Both titles are designed to attract a wide range of users, yet they share a significant commonality: they are based on well-known existing IP.
The NFL and Jeopardy, of course, are both immensely recognizable brands and properties.
This trend has become more apparent with the latest Arcade launches.
## The rationale behind Apple Arcade’s increased focus on IP-based games
In an interview released today by The Verge, Apple Arcade’s senior director Alex Rothman acknowledged the success of IP-driven titles while contending that they aren’t monopolizing the service. Instead, they are part of a strategy to “meet the diverse needs of Apple users.”
> “We’re not exclusively going all in on IP,” Rothman stated. “It’s a diversified mix, as we cater to a wide player demographic.” While Rothman is aware of the criticisms Arcade has received, he insists that Apple is committed to the Arcade for the long term. “We are genuinely passionate about games,” he remarked. “It’s not just the Arcade team; it resonates throughout the company.”
The heightened focus on IP is not confined to Apple Arcade, but mirrors broader trends within the industry.
A notable point from the article is that Apple now “links its partner developers with major IP holders for collaboration chances.” This is how one of Arcade’s biggest hits, Hello Kitty Island Adventure, was created.
> “I believe *Hello Kitty* presents an intriguing story,” Rothman mentioned. He explained how the indie developer Sunblink initially released a game named *Heroish* on Apple Arcade in 2022. Rothman remarked that *Heroish* was “exceptionally high quality” and considered Sunblink an excellent collaborator to introduce a *Hello Kitty* game to Arcade. “We succeeded in bringing Sunblink together with Sanrio to create something truly unique,” Rothman noted. “Numerous attempts have been made over the years to develop *Hello Kitty* games, none of which succeeded until we paired Sunblink with [Sanrio].”
Apple Arcade can be accessed as an independent service for $6.99 per month or as part of the Apple One bundle. It provides entry to over 200 games without advertisements or in-app purchases.
