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Game Freak to rerelease Pocket Card Jockey on Apple Arcade

The game was previously released for mobile devices in Japan in 2014

Game Freak to rerelease Pocket Card Jockey on Apple Arcade

Game Freak has announced that it’s rereleasing the 2013 title Pocket Card Jockey as Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On!, seven years after it was delisted from mobile platforms in Japan. The game will make its return to mobile devices on January 20 as an Apple Arcade exclusive, reports Gamedeveloper.com.

Game Freak is best known as the creator of the Pokémon franchise, having developed every mainline game within the series. However, the company has been relatively quiet on the mobile front, with Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On! being just the third mobile game within its portfolio. The game sees users complete games of solitaire to help their horses complete races. Although the rerelease will maintain the original rules, the racing segments have been recreated in 3D.

An Apple a day

While Pocket Card Jockey received favourable reviews, with praise directed towards the gameplay and art style, it arguably failed to engage players as evidenced by its short lifespan on mobile devices. The game has been absent from the space since the end of the Nintendo 3DS’s lifespan, so releasing the title doesn’t just show a possible resurgence for the franchise, but could help drive up subscriptions for the Apple Arcade subscription service with established fans, who may in turn explore other games available on the service.

Subscription services have become increasingly prevalent in the games space in recent years, with companies such as Netflix, Microsoft, and Sony getting in on the action. While Apple Arcade may be somewhat limited in terms of availability, boosting the profile of its gaming options, including the Apple Arcade, could help drive up unit sales as more and more people opt for iOS devices based not just on features, but games.

We maintain a list of every game available on Apple Arcade, which is regularly updated to reflect the newest releases on the service.

 


Staff Writer

Lewis Rees is a journalist, author, and escape room enthusiast based in South Wales. He got his degree in Film and Video from the University of Glamorgan. He's been a gamer all his life.