The latest Apple Arcade exclusive is… a Tom Hanks passion project?

Hanx101 Trivia is more than just Tom Hanks trivia.

 

Hanx101 Trivia, a trivia game narrated by actor Tom Hanks, will soon be available exclusively on the Apple Arcade subscription service (via Variety). Despite the name, it’s not a game about Hanks’ career — according to a press release from the game’s developer, Blueline Studios, it’ll feature “tens of thousands of questions” about history, math, geography, and food. (I’m hoping the later set includes at least one chocolate-related question.)

 

The game will include a head-to-head competition mode, a team mode, and a “Hanx101 mode,” in which you will presumably try to get a high score while answering 101 questions. There will also be “unique formats such as ‘Word Jam’ and ‘I Spy,'” though the game’s marketing material leaves it unclear what those will look like. The game will be released on Friday, September 2nd.

 

To be honest, this seems like an odd project to me. First and foremost, there’s the name: Blueline’s official website calls the game Hanx101 Trivia, with no space between Hanx and 101, whereas the Apple Arcade listing does. Second, it’s billed as “a way for Tom to share his love and passion for trivia with his fans, casual gamers, trivia aficionados, and YOU.” I had no idea he was such a nerd.

 

It’s not that being odd is a bad thing. As I previously stated, I intend to put this to the test. It’s also encouraging to see Apple experimenting with the types of projects that will be available on Arcade. Recently, the service has received Cooking Mama and Frogger games, as well as a sequel to Jetpack Joyride, a kart racing game starring Hank Hill, and a port of the infamous Goat Simulator.

 

Hanks is no stranger to creating content for Apple’s services; he appeared in the films Finch and Greyhound, both of which debuted on Apple TV Plus.